• 1 pint blueberries, picked over and washed
• 1 c sugar, divided use
• 8 egg yolks
• 3 c heavy cream
• 1 c whole milk, divided use
• 1/4 t salt
• 2 vanilla beans, halved lengthwise

In a saucepan, heat the blueberries and 1/4 cup of the sugar over medium heat. Stir occasionally and cook about 10 minutes or until berries begin to pop. Set aside to cool and refrigerate until ready for use.

While berries cool, stir together the egg yolks and remaining 3/4 cup sugar. The egg yolks and sugar should be thoroughly mixed together.

Combine cream, 1/2 cup milk, salt in a medium saucepan. Scrape the seeds from the halved vanilla bean and add seeds and split bean pods to the cream mixture. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Meanwhile, prepare an ice water bath large enough to accommodate a 2 quart or larger stainless steel bowl.

When the cream and vanilla bean mixture has come to a simmer, whisk about half the cream into the egg yolk mixture adding the cream in a steady stream. Transfer the egg yolk mixture back to the saucepan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Cook until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon and an instant-read thermometer registers 180 degrees F. This will take about 8 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the remaining 1/2 cup milk.

Pour the custard through a fine sieve or cheese cloth lined colander into the stainless steel bowl set over the prepared ice water bath. Stir to cool custard completely and freeze the ice cream according to the directions of your ice cream maker.

While the ice cream is freezing, place a large mixing bowl in the freezer to chill. When the ice cream has frozen in the maker, transfer it to the chilled mixing bowl. Fold in the chilled blueberry mixture until swirled. Return mixing bowl to freezer and freeze for at least 90 minutes for a firm texture.

Click here for a printer friendly version of this recipe.