Nothing beats a good ice cream on a warm day. This Vanilla Blueberry Thyme Swirl Ice Cream is perfect for spring time. It’s creamy, little vanilla-y with bits of blueberries & a hint of thyme. That vibrant blueberry swirls also makes the prettiest purple color too!
Spring is here, but I’m so lost with our weird weather these days. It was up to 98˚F (36.6˚C) last week, but it’s back down to 64˚F (17.7˚C) this week. Either it’s hot or cold, ice cream is always on my mind. Remember the Small Batch Blueberry Thyme Jam that I made a few weeks ago? I swirled them into vanilla ice cream. Not only the swirls and colors look amazing, it tastes fantastic too!
For the base ice cream, I used a vanilla ice cream recipe from Food52. This vanilla ice cream is not as thick and dense, but I love that. It’s creamy, little vanilla-y and not too sweet. When Bryan first tasted the ice cream after churning, he said it tasted like Foster Freeze. And I agree! Both the flavor and texture are kind of similar. But after freezing for longer to set, the ice cream will be a bit thicker and more like regular ice cream.
To do the swirls, prepare a large mixing bowl. I like to keep the bowl in the freezer for 1 hour before using, so ice cream won’t be melting too fast when I’m doing the swirls. If you don’t have space in freezer, keep the bowl in the fridge. It won’t be as cold, but at least better than room temperature. Once the vanilla ice cream is ready and the bowl is chilled, transfer the ice cream into the bowl. Working quickly, add the jam. And stir with a stiff spatula or wooden spoon for a few times. Don’t over mix because you can lose the swirl marks. Then immediately transfer the finished ice cream into an ice cream container. Also, it’s best to get that container freeze before using.
I could add more jam to the ice cream, but I don’t want this to be overly sweet. You can taste the vanilla and the blueberries, then a very very mild thyme. If you’re feeling it, you can add a little bit of minced thyme leaves when serving or mix into the ice cream when adding the jam.
It can’t get more spring than this ice cream! I hope you guys will love this. Happy Spring!
Vanilla Blueberry Thyme Swirl Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 3 large egg yolks
- 150 grams sugar
- 2½ cups heavy cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup blueberry thyme jam
Instructions
- In a large bowl, stir to break the egg yolks. Add sugar and whisk until pale and smooth.
- In a medium saucepan, combine heavy cream, milk, vanilla and salt. Cook over medium heat. Bring mixture just to a simmer, about 5 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat.
- While whisking the egg yolk mixture, slowly pour in a little bit of hot cream. Whisk to mix and add more. Whisk again. Pour in about half of hot cream. Then whisk the yolk mixture back into the pot with the cream. Return the pot over medium heat and cook until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon (about 180˚F on an instant thermometer), about 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
- Strain the ice cream base through a fine mesh sieve into an airtight container. Cover and chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- 1 hour before churning the ice cream, put an ice cream container (and a large mixing bowl if there is space) in the freezer. If your freezer doesn’t have space, put the mixing bowl in the fridge.
- Pour the ice cream base into an ice-cream maker by following the ice-cream maker instruction. Scoop out 1/3 cup of jam. When the ice cream is done, transfer the ice cream to the cold mixing bowl. Working quickly, add the jam and mix together for a few times. Do not over mix. Transfer the ice cream to the cold ice cream container. Cover and freeze for at least 4 hours before serving.
Notes
- This ice cream is a little softer than regular ice cream. It took me longer to churn and it’s softer when scooping out. But texture is great.
- Thyme flavor is very very mild in the ice cream. If you like, you can add a little bit of minced thyme leaves along with the jam or sprinkle little bit over the ice cream when serving.
- To help to keep the ice cream stay fresh, press a parchment paper on the surface of the ice cream when it’s completely solid (after 4 hours of freezing).
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