Today is my Birthday! -- Brown Sugar Ice Cream with Blackberry Syrup

Today I turn 29! To celebrate my last year in the 20's, I made Brown Sugar Ice Cream and macerated some Blackberries, topped off with salted Peanuts.



The big party will be on saturday with family and friends. It's going to be a Mexican Fiesta with decorations and everything. But more on that later. I'll be posting tutorials for the decorations, later this week.

This recipe started as a simple Vanilla Ice Cream, but I didn't have any white sugar. That's when the Brown Sugar came in. It has a smooth caramel taste. 


Usually I don't buy Brown Sugar. Ever since I was introduced to the wonders of Turbinado Sugar (Raw Sugar), I've been using it more and more. But there wasn't any either. 


The Blackberry Syrup was super easy to make. Just macerate some fresh berries with a little sugar and that's it. The salted Peanuts add a nice touch to a dessert that can be overly sweet sometimes.


This recipe yields 4 or 5  servings.  

2 Egg Yolks

2 cups Half & Half (1 cup milk + 1 cup cream)

3/4 cup Brown Sugar (adjust to your own taste)

Pinch of Salt

2 tsp Vanilla

1 cup Blackberries

1 tbsp Sugar

-Beat the egg yolks, then mix with the sugar, salt and half & half. Mix well with a whisk. Add the sugar in batches, tasting for sweetness until it's sweet enough for your taste. It's not necessary to add the entire amount. 

-Pour into a heavy bottomed sauce pan. Over low heat, cook until the mixture thickens (about 12 minutes). Make sure to whisk ALL THE TIME. Otherwise, the egg WILL curdle. You can also cook it in a double boiler.

- Once the mixture has thickened, let it cool down for 15 minutes. Then mix in the Vanilla.

-Let the custard come to room temperature, then place in the fridge until it's cool. About 5 hours. 

-Prepare the ice cream according to the ice cream maker's instructions. I just pour the custard in the ice cream maker and let it 'cook' for 20 minutes. 

-While the ice cream is getting ready, add the sugar to the blackberries and break them up with a spoon. The sugar will break the berries and create a no-cook syrup.

-Chop the salted Peanuts.

-Serve the ice cream, pour some syrup on top and top off with peanuts.

Look at that creamy firm texture.