Here’s my blackberry banana ice cream recipe, which uses a custard base, my favorite technique for creating a sumptuously smooth mouth-feel. After making this ice cream, I was so pleased with the results that I googled to see if anyone else had already posted a recipe like it. But no, no other custard based blackberry banana ice cream recipes that I could find. If you try this, I’d love to read your honest feedback in the comment section. Is it really that good, or am I just an outlier???

Blackberry banana ice cream

Blackberries are available at pick-your-own farms and farmers’ markets around here in July and August. They are also a very common wild edible in these parts, and the plant is pretty easy to identify, especially after the berries begin to ripen.

Though blackberries have an irresistible sweetness when first popped into the mouth, some people dislike them because even the sweetest ones sometimes leave a slightly bitter after taste. But even if you think you don’t like blackberries, you should try this recipe, in which banana balances the flavor beautifully and neutralizes that after taste.

The banana does another important job: it balances the pH. Fresh purees of acidic berries, such as blackberry or blueberry, can curdle milk when combined with it. Because banana is less acidic than blackberries, it reduces the acidity of the puree and prevents it from curdling the milk. Even the color of this ice cream is lovely, and the texture is out of this world. A perfect marriage of fruit and berry!

The puree is cooked right in with the base, so that you only have to strain one mixture. And even though the berries are cooked, they still taste totally fresh. The flavor of blackberries seems to stand up to cooking better than that of raspberries or strawberries.

Blackberry Banana Ice Cream Recipe

Makes a little more than a quart

• 3 eggs
• 2 cups heavy cream
• ½ cup wholemilk
• ¾ cups sugar, plus up to an additional ¼ cup more, to taste, if berries are tart
• 3 tbsp corn syrup
• Pinch of salt
• 1 small, very ripe banana (use half, if banana is large)
• 1 ¾ cups blackberries

1. Whisk eggs to break up yolks and blend them with whites in a medium bowl and set aside.
2. Puree berries and banana in a food processor or blender until very smooth.
3. Add the fruit puree, cream, milk, ¾ cups sugar, corn syrup, and salt to a 4 qt saucepan and heat, stirring occasionally, over medium-high until sugar is dissolved and mixture is well blended. Taste it, and add 1 tbsp of sugar at a time, to taste, if necessary. Continue heating until mixture just reaches a boil. Remove from heat.
4. Temper the eggs by drizzling about 1 ½ cups of the hot cream mixture into the eggs while whisking the eggs vigorously.
5. Carefully pour the tempered egg mixture into the 4 qt saucepan with the remaining hot cream mixture, while whisking the contents of the saucepan. Since the eggs are already tempered, you do not need to drizzle it, but do not dump it into the pot all at once, or you might scramble the eggs.
6. Return the saucepan to the heating element, and cook, stirring constantly (preferably with a heat proof spatula, but any spoon will do), over medium-low heat, until mixture thickens and reaches a temperature of about 170-175 degrees F (use a candy thermometer). It should take about 7-14 minutes to thicken and reach that temperature range, depending on your heating element, and how good the contact is between the element and the bottom of the pan (i.e., a too small heating element, or a warped pan will make this take a long time). The mixture should be noticeably thicker than the raw milk/cream mixture. Do not be tempted to crank up the heat to hasten the process, as you will risk scrambling the eggs.
7. Remove from heat, and immediately pour the hot custard through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl. This removes any little pieces of scrambled egg, as well as the blackberry seeds, ensuring a super smooth final product. You will need to stir the contents of the strainer and push it through with a spoon.
8. Put it straight into the refrigerator, or pre-cool it in a cold water bath for about a half hour, and then refrigerate. Stir occasionally for the first half hour, or so, of cooling.
9. Cool completely in refrigerator for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
10. Churn in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions.  Transfer to a 1 qt container, and store in the freezer until ready to eat.

Shared on: Thank Goodness it’s Monday, Old Fashioned Friday #52, Mostly Homemade Mondays #65, It’s a Party #143, Showcase Your Talent Thursday #97, Show and Tell #62, BFF Open House Link Party #142, Freedom Fridays #13, Mix it Up Monday, Fluster’s Creative Muster #57, Heritage Homesteaders Hop #12, Tuesday’s Table