Blackberry Ice Cream

While camping at Frazier Mills we met the camp host and his family. They are a really great family with an INTENSE love for Mountain Home State Forest. They've been spending summers there for over 50 years. They mentioned that they have a little tradition of berry picking every summer and when they get home his father-in-law would make blackberry ice cream. And now since his father-in-law has passed away he has kept up this tradition. I love it. I'm a sucker for traditions and I'd love to start our own. Growing up we'd go to Washington to visit my grandpa's property and while there we'd pick berries and make a cobbler. I looked forward to it every time.
In honor of the camp host and in hopes of creating a tradition we picked a bunch of berries, brought them home and made black berry ice cream... and we proceeded to devour it ALL. It's so good. Too good. I'm a sucker for ice cream.

 
Blackberry Swirl Ice Cream  
The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz

Ice cream:
1 cup whole milk
⅔ cup (4.6 ounces) sugar
pinch salt
1½ cups heavy cream
5 large egg yolks
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Blackberry swirl:
1½ cups (5.6 ounces) blackberries, fresh or frozen
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon vodka
1 teaspoon lemon juice

1. To make the ice cream, warm the milk, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan. Pour the cream into a large bowl and set a mesh strainer over the top.
2. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm milk into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrap the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.
3. Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as your stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula. Pour the custard through the strainer and stir it into the cream. Add the vanilla and stir until cool over an ice bath. Chill thoroughly in the refrigerator.
4. An hour or so before churning the ice cream, make the blackberry swirl by mash the blackberries together with the sugar, vodka, and lemon juice with a fork (if you using frozen blackberries, let them thaw a bit first) until they’re juicy but with nice-sized chunks of blackberries remaining. Chill until ready to use.
5. Freeze the ice cream custard in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. As you remove it from the machine, layer it in the container with spoonfuls of the chills blackberry swirl mixture.