Oh. My. Gosh. It’s been crazy humid this week.
So humid that the radio host joked that yesterday’s air was actually water and that we all are fish.
So humid that even with my best attempt to straighten my hair every morning, I look like Hermione Granger by noon.
So humid that afternoon ice cream is totally justified.
When pregnant with Theo I hit the ice cream… Pretty hard. I am pretty sure I had at least a scoop five to six nights a week. In fact, I hit any and all desserts pretty hard. I told myself it was fine because it’s not like I was consuming my normal wine calories…
But, now that wine is back in my life on occasion, and I am not eating for two, I have tried to watch my sweet treat intake.
It’s proving to be harder than it used to be pre-baby, so I decided that if I have a treat it has to be something I made. It can’t be something I just picked up at the store.
Fortunately (maybe unfortunately…?) for me, ice cream is one of my favorite things to make.
I learned to love making ice cream with the Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams cookbook as a newlywed. Jeni’s is an awesome ice cream shop that originated in my hometown, Columbus, Ohio.
But, Jeni’s isn’t the only great ice cream shop with Ohio roots. Graeter’s Ice Cream is based out of Cincinnati, but also has plenty of locations in Columbus to get our fix. (Indy now has one too!)
As a teenager, I would rarely go for a fruity ice cream. I wasn’t into berries or fruit in general and when it came to ice cream I was too preoccupied with things like… Chocolate. Lots of it. And, rainbow sprinkles.
But, about five years ago I was back in Columbus because a great friend of mine was going through something impossible. I headed to her house to keep her company with another one of our girl friends. On the way, we stopped by Graeter’s to pick up a pint of her favorite flavor, Black Raspberry Chip.
We shared the pint as we caught up, cried, leaned on each other and even laughed a bit, when at first bite, I shared that I was officially a Black Raspberry Chip convert.
This week my same great friend finds herself facing another all to familiar situation again.
Even as one of her oldest friends, it’s hard to know what to say or what to do because it all makes me so sad too.
But, it made me think of that night where the three of us sat around her family’s kitchen table with a pint of Black Raspberry Chip and three spoons. As sad as that time was, I still had a little smile recalling the memory.
Food is such a powerful thing.
It elicits memories, brings people together and offers comfort.
And, after my friends sad news as well as the current events of the week, I needed a little comfort this afternoon. Using the last of the black raspberries I picked at a local black raspberry patch late last week, I made my own black raspberry chip ice cream.
The flavors were fresh, cool and creamy. Not to mention the purple color was absolutely dreamy.
As I pulsed the last of my delicious berries, I thought of their short season. They are only ripe for just a couple weeks and then they are gone. Which, if you are lucky and have the right support system, is kind of like sad times.
They happen, it’s a fact of life.
But, if we are fortunate they are temporary and overpowered by good.
Fortunately for me and my hair, humidity is like this too.
But, if all else fails, ice cream helps with both.
- 20 ounces black raspberries, fresh or frozen but partly thawed
- 1 cup whole milk
- 6 egg yolks
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- pinch of salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup tiny chocolate chips
- Puree berries in a blender or food processor.
- Pour milk into a large bowl and set aside.
- Whisk egg yolks in a small bowl.
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, simmer heavy cream, sugar and salt until the sugar dissolves.
- Slowly whisk a couple ladle full's of the cream mixture to the egg yolks. Pour tempered eggs back into the saucepan. Stir continuously until the mixture coats the back or a spoon.
- Pour the cream mixture followed by the berry mixture through a fine mesh strainer into the bowl with the milk.
- Add the vanilla and stir to combine.
- Cool mixture in a refrigerator over night or until completely cooled.
- Churn through and ice cream maker until mixture resembles soft serve. Add chocolate chips until combined.
- Freeze in an air tight container completely before consuming.
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