Huckleberry Ice Cream
I hope you’ll begrudge me at least one more homemade ice cream recipe this summer— this one made with huckleberries fresh from the mountains of Idaho.
We’re just back from a week spent at my family cabin in McCall, a small lakeside town north of Boise. It’s a longstanding summer tradition I look forward to all year long. We swam, built sandcastles, lounged in the sun, roasted marshmallows, enjoyed sunsets over the lake, and played card games long into the night.
I took a whole week off from the internet and my blogging life, ignoring email, twitter and the like. It was fabulous. But now I’m back! And refreshed and excited to share a recipe I created in our tiny and primitive cabin kitchen.
We’ve lucked out two years in a row to have our time in McCall overlap with the short huckleberry season (check out last year’s huckleberry buckle recipe). We don’t have to venture far to find them, and with the help of everyone in my family, it wasn’t long before we’d picked more than we could possibly use up in the few days we had left of vacation.
Not that we didn’t try.
I brought my ice cream maker along with us to Idaho specifically with huckleberry ice cream in mind, knowing it would be a perfect sweet accompaniment to our mountain adventures. I hadn’t planned on sharing the recipe, but it was just so beautiful and perfect, I couldn’t help myself. It just doesn’t get much better than homemade ice cream made with berries picked fresh that morning. It’s smooth, creamy, and the fresh huckleberry flavor is like a summer dream.
Huckleberries are a smaller, more tart, and less common cousin of the blueberry and if they are hard to find near you (which is the case for almost everyone outside of the Northwest), blueberries will make a fine substitute.
Huckleberry Ice Cream
Ingredients
Huckleberry compote:
- 2 cups huckleberries , fresh or frozen (340 grams)
- â…“ cup granulated sugar (66 grams)
Ice cream:
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream (475 ml)
- 1 cup whole milk (237 ml)
- â…” cup granulated sugar (132 grams)
- Pinch of salt
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup fresh huckleberries (170 grams)
Instructions
- To make the huckleberry compote, combine the huckleberries and sugar together in a small saucepan set over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar as the berries burst and release their juices. Simmer until mixture is reduced and thickened, about 15-20 minutes, stirring frequently. Let cool completely.
- To make the ice cream base, heat 1 cup of the heavy cream, milk, sugar and salt in a medium saucepan set over medium heat until steaming. Meanwhile, whisk together the eggs in a large bowl. Add the heated milk mixture in a small steady stream into the eggs while whisking continuously until it is all incorporated.
- Return mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat until it thickens and coats the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in remaining 1 cup heavy whipping cream and vanilla extract. Chill mixture completely in the fridge, then stir in the huckleberry compote.
- Freeze ice cream in an ice cream machine according to manufacturer's instructions, adding 1 cup fresh huckleberries during the last 5 minutes of churning. Transfer ice cream to a large bowl or plastic container and freeze until hard, about 2-3 hours.
Notes
This is the yummiest huckleberry ice cream recipe out there! We pick huckleberries just so we can make and eat this ice cream! Thank you for sharing it!
I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe, thanks for the feedback!
Last year we enjoyed this delicious icecream together as a family on a Sunday night during huckleberry season. The next day our son passed away unexpectedly. All year long I though about him sitting at the end of the table while eating his last dessert. We were talking and laughing together about this and that. This year we decided to make the icecream again on a Sunday night (close to the same date). It will always remind me if him. I think we will continue to make this annually as a tradition. Thank you for sharing this recipe. It’s very good. It’s been very memorable for us.
I am so incredibly touched by this, thank you so much for sharing. I’m honored that my recipe will remind you of memories with your son, and I am so very sorry for your unimaginable loss. Thinking of you and your family!
We live in McCall.. surprised to see a recipe posted with McCall!!! Make ice cream often will try the recipe let you know how it turns out it will be deliciousÂ
Oh I hope you love this huckleberry ice cream recipe! Love McCall so much. 🙂
This is the BEST ice cream I have ever had!! The recipe will definitely be a favorite for our family and friends. Thank you for sharing!
Hi Jill! Thanks so much for the feedback, I’m so happy to hear you like this recipe!
Never heard of cooking the base or boiling it…ours everything is cold !!!
I live in Idaho and ended up with about 6 cups of huckleberries recently. I’ve been craving berry ice cream, so here I am.
I made this exactly as described and it’s the smoothest, creamiest ice cream I’ve ever made. I was skeptical of making the custard with whole eggs (normally use yolks only) but it turned out great!
Highly recommend.
huckleberries I remember from the Northwest woods of Washington were red and it seemed that only I could find them. They were a coveted pride for my mother and I. And I was highly valued for always finding the best berries!Â
I remember those. The only place I have ever found them was Lake Roesiger. I used to spend summers there as a kid. Haven’t found them since…
I grew up in Washington State eating wild huckleberries while playing in the Northwest Woods. This recipe promises to revive old memories.
This is really nice!