Blueberry Gelato

Things I love about summer....lazy afternoons at the pool, flip flops, sunscreen scented kids, grilled hamburgers and blueberries. I love blueberries.

I love blueberries plain. Or in just about anything you could put a blueberry in. Muffins, cobblers, scones, coffee cake, oatmeal.

And gelato.

I don't know where this craving came from, but I've had a hankering for some frozen blueberry deliciousness. My body must be in dire need of some antioxidants or something. I've never actually had blueberry gelato before, I can honestly say.

I haven't branched much in the frozen dessert creating arena. Sure, I've made vanilla ice cream, and vanilla ice cream with stuff in it. But never a fruity flavor. This was all a bit new. I looked online for a recipe, and couldn't seem to find one that sounded right. Either they were sorbet-ish or ice creamy, and I wanted something more in between. So I just made it up. What the heck, right?

Blueberry Gelato
- 2 pints blueberries, rinsed
- 1 cup sugar
- juice and zest of one lemon
- a dash of salt
- 1 cup heavy cream

Combine berries, sugar, lemon juice and zest in a saucepan. Heat on medium-low until sugar melts and mixture become just bubbly. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the berries all start to fall apart. Transfer to heat safe blender or food processor and puree. Cover and chill in the fridge for at least an hour.

Remove chilled berry mixture, and pour into ice cream maker, adding the cream. Run machine until gelato starts to form and mixture thickens. Remove from maker, cover and chill in freezer for at least 3 hours or until fully set.

Happy summer!