Raspberry Vanilla Ice Cream

My husband brought me some raspberry plants before our second date. To me it was more romantic than getting flowers! On our third date we got a load of dirt for planting the raspberries in my back yard and the rest is history.

Now we've been married two years and the raspberry patch is growing great. If we ever move I will have to take some raspberry starts because they are so sentimental to me.

On Saturday I made my first batch of raspberry vanilla ice cream for the year. We made it quite a few times last year. It's the basic vanilla ice cream recipe from my Cuisinart ice cream maker booklet and I just add a swirl of raspberry puree.

Raspberry Vanilla Ice Cream

1 cup whole milk
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups (1 pint) heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups raspberries
2 tablespoons sugar (or to taste)

Make sure the milk and cream are well chilled. Stir the sugar into the milk until it dissolves and then add the cream and vanilla. Freeze in the ice cream maker for 25 minutes or so until thickened (this might vary if you have a different ice cream maker...I've only tried it with my Cuisinart).

While the ice cream is mixing, puree the raspberries in a food processor along with the sugar. Right before the ice cream is ready, put the puree in a sieve and press with the back of a spoon to remove all the seeds. Add to the ice cream and turn off the machine before it mixes in all the way. Freeze a couple of hours for a firmer consistency.