Blackberry Ice Cream

It's still not too late in the season to make some blacberry ice cream. Have it plain or serve it with some juicy fresh blackberries on the side or with some Valhrona dark chocolate chips (just chop half a tablet into small chips and drop them in while it's churning. The luscious combination of flavors and textures will blow your mind away :)

Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 C fresh blackberries
- 1/2 + 1/4 C sugar, divided
- 1/2 + 1/4 C whole milk
- 1 + 1/4 C heavy cream
- 1 + 1/2 t pure vanilla extract (optional)

Preparation:
1. In a small bowl, combine the blackberries with 1/2 C of the sugar. Stir gently and allow the berries to macerate in the sugar for 2 hrs (pic 1). Mash or puree the berries. ( pic 2)
2. In a medium mixing bowl, use a hand mixer on low speed to combine the milk and remaining granulated sugar until the sugar is dissolved (pic 3), about 1-2 minutes. Stir in the heavy cream, and strain in the pureed berries, vanilla and mix well (pic 4,5,6)
3. Turn the machine on; pour the mixture into the freezer bowl, and let mix until thickened, about 20 to 25 minutes (pic 7). The ice cream will have a soft, creamy texture (pic 8). Transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and place in freezer for about 2 hours. Remove from freezer about 15' before serving. (pic 6)