British hedgerows are adorned with wild blackberries at this time of year. Try to pick the ripest berries, preferably on a sunny day, which will fall into your fingers with no resistance. One of my favourite ways to use this (free) versatile, plump and juicy fruit is in blackberry ice cream...
Blackberry Ice Cream Recipe
Serves 8-10
- 600ml double cream
- 400ml full-fat milk
- 1 vanilla pod
- 6 egg yolks
- 200g caster sugar
- 500g blackberries
Put the cream and milk in a saucepan. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla pod and add to the pan with the pod, too. Bring to the boil, then remove from the heat. Beat the yolks and sugar together in a bowl until pale and creamy. Strain the cream mixture into the yolks, whisking as you go. Return the mixture to the saucepan and heat, stirring, until it thickens into custard. Remove and cool. Blitz the blackberries and sieve to make a purée. Stir into the custard and taste for sweetness (the frozen mixture will not taste as sweet and some blackberries are sweeter than others). Churn in an ice-cream machine until just frozen, then chill in the freezer for at least half an hour before serving
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