Summer Berry Ice Cream

By Melissa Clark

Updated June 5, 2016

  • Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
10 minutes, plus churning and chilling
Rating
5(482)
Comments
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Egg-free ice cream, often called Philadelphia-style or American-style, is a traditional method that can yield phenomenal results if superior ingredients are used and if the ice cream is not pumped full of air (as many cheap store-bought brands are). From the perspective of a home cook, egg-free ice creams are simpler than custard-based ones, and more foolproof. You don’t have to worry about tempering the yolks, or fear curdling. To soften the texture of egg-free ice creams, which otherwise freeze rock solid, David Lebovitz, author of “The Perfect Scoop,” advised adding a few spoonfuls of alcohol or a liquid sweetener like honey or maple syrup. Adding more sugar also helps the texture, said Nick Morgenstern of Morgenstern’s Finest Ice Cream, but so does simply leaving the ice cream at room temperature — or better, in the refrigerator — until soft enough to scoop.

Featured in: Egg-Free Ice Cream Lets Flavors Bloom

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Ingredients

Yield:About a quart

  • 1 ¼ cups berries (blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries combined)

  • 2 cups heavy cream

  • ⅓ cup sugar, plus 2 tablespoons, as needed

  • ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt

  • 2 tablespoons vodka

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving

17 grams carbs; 67 milligrams cholesterol; 268 calories; 5 grams monosaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 14 grams saturated fat; 22 grams fat; 1 gram trans fat; 1 gram fiber; 46 milligrams sodium; 2 grams protein; 15 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a bowl, mash berries with a fork or potato masher until just slightly chunky.

  2. Step 2

    In a saucepan over medium-low heat, bring cream to a simmer with ⅓ cup sugar and the salt. Taste berries and if they are very tart, add 2 tablespoons sugar to saucepan. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves. Transfer to a bowl, stir in vodka and place in refrigerator or in an ice bath to chill.

  3. Step 3

    When cold, pour mixture into ice cream machine. Add berries and churn according to manufacturer’s directions. Transfer to a container and freeze until solid, at least 2 hours. Let sit at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes before serving, or in refrigerator for 15 to 30.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
482 user ratings
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Comments

scooter

We thought this all-cream version was a little heavy. I cut the cream to 1 cup and replaced 1/2 cup of the cream with milk. I replaced the other 1/2 cup of cream with buttermilk added just prior to churning. The buttermilk gave a delicious tartness to the ice cream.

Nelson

Added zest of half a lemon to balance the richness of the cream and sweetness of the berries. Delish!

VickieDell

I've made this many times. It tastes so summer fresh with all the berries. I do give them a whirl in the food processor as I prefer smaller chunks.

Pamela Penman

Very easy to make and less fuss without having to deal with separating eggs and wondering what to do with the whites. However as other readers have pointed out, it is just too rich. Next time I will cut the heavy cream. I also feel that it needed a tiny bit more salt. All in all, it’s a very easy and tasty recipe that definitely makes up in speed for what it loses in flavor, which is honestly not much at all.

FNT

For raspberry or blackberry ice cream I prefer to remove the seeds. I cook the berries down well and put it through a sieve to separate the seeds. The remaining 'juice' is cooked down a bit more until it coats a spoon. I make a base of the Cuisinart vanilla ice cream recipe but with half the vanilla, churn this in our Cuisinart ice cream machine and add a cup of the cooled berry syrup in the last five minutes. Delicious.

TKNY

I second the suggestion to use a blender or food processor for the berries to avoid frozen chunks. And significantly increase berries. I added added 1/4 more berries, but the berry flavor was still mild and the ice cream looked much lighter than the picture. Subbed white rum for vodka and it worked well.

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