Looking through my photos from the last few weeks, it occurs to me that I’ve never bought as many ice cream cones as I have this summer, and that somehow makes me happy!

There was something about having a young houseguest around that made me a little nostalgic… for the kind of holidays I wished I’d had as a child, and then I was overcome by this odd desire to make this her (my houseguest’s) best summer ever!

Our to-do list kept growing even as our summer together was winding down. We never got around to all fascinating treats we’d planned to make – scones, pancakes and homemade ice cream.

This is the ice cream I wish we had made together. Maybe because it’s a little unconventional… coconut milk churned until luscious and creamy.

Subtle coconut flavours, sweet blueberries with a splash of lemon to draw out the tartness in the berries, simple and tasty, that’s what this ice cream is all about.

It’s a beautiful way to use up those plentiful in-season blueberries; I go a step further and pair it with this blueberry galette – because you can never have too much blueberries in the summer, and there’s only so much I can freeze (my freezer is tiny!)

I usually use full-fat coconut milk, but light coconut milk worked just fine, I don’t know if the banana is necessary, but it melds with the vanilla extract for a delectable rich flavour.

This ice cream is a sort of work in progress; I have a lot of ideas for it still.
I like that it’s modest and uses just a few ingredients, maybe next time I’ve blend the blueberries with the coconut milk… maybe I’ll get to make it with my young houseguest next time.

[print_this]

Blueberry Coconut Milk Ice Cream

INGREDIENTS

• 2 (400ml/13.5oz each) cans coconut milk, chilled
• 3/4 cup cane sugar
• 1 medium-sized ripe banana
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• Pinch of salt
• 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix coconut milk, sugar, banana, vanilla extract, lemon juice and salt in a blender until smooth and sugar is dissolved
2. Transfer mixture into ice cream machine and add blueberries
3. Churn mixture according to manufacturer’s instructions until creamy
4. Serve immediately with your favourite toppings, or pack in an airtight container, cover and freeze until firm
5. When serving from freezer, allow ice cream to sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes before serving
6. Enjoy!

[/print_this]