South African Christmas Recipe: Part 1

South African Blueberries 

With the festive season around the corner, I’m pretty sure that everyone has already started to plan their lunches and dinners. There are many, The Mother included, who won’t be warded off her roast bird and pudding but that doesn’t stop me from trying to persuade her into a more climate-friendly menu.

In the passed I’ve suggested seafood braai’s packed with skewered prawns, charred crayfish or whole trout stuffed with slices of lemon and fresh herbs.  “All good suggestions” she says, “but it doesn’t feel like Christmas food”.

It goes without saying that our South African Christmas’ are warm. Very warm and humid if you spend them in Durban, like I do. So by the time dessert rolls ‘round, I often have to wheel my lounging belly over to the fruit platter because let’s be serious, it’s far too hot to even think of pudding and custard!

With Blueberries in season over these festive months I think it’s almost criminal not to include these violet little jewels into the celebrations. This Blueberry and Buttermilk ice cream is the perfect mixture of fruit, yoghurty tartness and good ol’ Christmas spirit. It’s so good I think even Mother might give it the go ahead!

Blueberry & Buttermilk ice cream

Shopping list

2 pints blueberries

8 large egg yolks

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar (I used raw, unprocessed sugar, with good results)

! teaspoon salt

3 " cups full fat milk

2 tablespoons lime juice

1 " cups buttermilk

Mint leaves for garnish (optional)

How to

Place blueberries in a food processor or blender with half of the sugar and process to a chunky puree. (Reserve a few blueberries for garnish.) Set aside.

Place the milk in a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat.

Separate egg yolks into a mixing bowl; whisk in the rest of the sugar and the salt.

When the half-and-half mixture is steaming -- but not boiling! -- ladle a cup of the hot mixture into your 

egg yolks while whisking constantly. Then pour your tempered egg yolks back into your saucepan of hot milk,whisking constantly.

With a wooden spoon, stir the ice cream mixture constantly while cooking over medium heat until the custard thickens and coats the back of your wooden spoon,

Immediately strain your custard into a heat-resistant storage container, or directly into your ice cream maker's canister, unless it is one of the pre-frozen ones. Allow it to cool at room temperature for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then stir in the buttermilk, lime juice, and pureed blueberries.

Refrigerate until very cold, or about four hours. The ice cream base can be made up to two days ahead.

Churn your ice cream following your ice cream maker manufacturer's instructions.

Garnish with mint.

This recipe was lovingly borrowed from www.grist.org ;)