It’s summer time and the perfect time for ice cream! Since blueberries are coming into season over at Klassen Blueberries, we thought it would be a great idea to come up with a unique take on an old classic: the ice cream sandwich.
I love adding great tasting bourbons, whiskeys and craft beers to ice cream. It just adds a whole new dimension of flavour to the dessert. In March we made an Irish Whiskey and Brown Bread ice cream that is a family favourite and won over the folks at the CTV offices.
This is something that came together after I had purchased a bottle of Grass Widow Bourbon at the Two James Distillery in Detroit (the first licensed distillery to open in Detroit since prohibition!). Of course, anytime I have a fine bottle of liquor in the house I immediately think of making ice cream. Sean loved the finished product and the combination of the bourbon and blueberries but it was ultimately my dad who had the final say: “Wow.”
That was pretty much all I needed to hear. Success had been achieved.
We took the blueberry bourbon ice cream and sandwiched them between a Lemon Rosemary shortbread cookie. The lemon pairs well with the blueberries and the rosemary just gives it that unexpected twist in flavour. And the addition of bourbon…well it’s just awesome. Just a tip about the cookies: put them in the freezer until you’re ready to use them. This keeps them cold and helps prevent the ice cream from melting as you’re assembling the sandwiches.
Blueberry Bourbon Ice Cream
Ingredients:
- 1 cup blueberries
- 1/4 cup sugar
- Juice of half a lemon
- 2 cups heavy cream, 35%
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons of good quality bourbon
Add blueberries, 1/4 cup sugar and lemon juice to saucepan. Cook over medium heat. You want the sugar to dissolve and the blueberries to break down enough that it creates a bit of a sauce, but still leaves a few blueberries intact. I sometimes use a masher to mash the berries a bit.
Set aside and let the compote completely cool.
Pour 1 cup of the cream into a medium saucepan and add the sugar. Warm over medium heat, stirring, until the sugar is dissolved.
Remove from heat and add the remaining cream and milk, the vanilla extract and 2 tablespoons of bourbon.
Chill mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, for at least eight hours or preferably overnight.
Insert the ice cream canister (which has been in the freezer for at least 18 hours) into the ice cream machine and process according to manufacturer’s directions.
Near the end of the process when the ice cream is starting to look like soft serve, add half of the blueberry compote and let churn for another minute or two. You can use the other half to drizzle over vanilla ice cream or just have on toast.
Place ice cream in freezer for at least 1 to 2 hours to achieve a firmer consistency.
Once the cookies have cooled and the ice cream has firmed up a bit, it’s time to make the sandwiches! Just place a scoop of ice cream on a cookie and top with another cookie. Put the ice cream sandwiches in the freezer for about an hour to give the ice cream a chance to firm back up.
Please note: because of the alcohol, this is not a kid-friendly dessert.
