Sugar Free Blackberry Cabernet Ice Cream

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In order to make this, you will first have to make this.  Yes, the sauce that was made for the duck that inspired the ice cream.  Sure, I could have saved the sauce for seared salmon, or chicken cutlets like Sophie may do, or pork chops.  But ice cream ...  it just screamed for ice cream.  (I know, I can see your eyes rolling.)

Not a lot of talk here.  You'll want to get started on that sauce.  Think deep, rich red wine and blackberry reduction with heady notes of fresh ginger, rosemary, cracked black peppercorns, all wrapped up in a cold, palate-pleasing post prandial scoop.  And please, use a good cabernet.  It will make all the difference between a so-so sauce and a knock your socks off sauce.

Sugar Free Blackberry Cabernet Ice Cream
Christine's original recipe
(print recipe)
Ingredients:
2 cups 2% milk
3 egg yolks
9 packets Splenda (6 tablespoons sugar for you non-Splenda users), more if you want it sweeter
1 cup Christine's Blackberry Cabernet sauce, strained
1/2 to 1 cup heavy cream

Preparation:

Bring the milk to a simmer on low heat until bubbles form around the edge of the pan. Romove from heat.

Meanwhile, beat the egg yolks with an electric mixer until the yolks begin to turn pale yellow.

Add in the Splenda or sugar and continue beating until the yolks are thickened and form ribbons when dripping from the beaters.

Using a whisk, mix one-third of the hot milk into the egg yolks then gently whisk this back into the remaining milk in the saucepan.

Heat gently over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.

Do not allow mixture to boil.  It is ready when the custard coats the back of the wooden spoon and you can run a track through it with your finger that won't disappear.

Remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool for about 10 minutes.

Gently whisk the strained blackberry cabernet sauce into the custard, mixing thoroughly.

Chill for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Gently whisk in the cream just before processing. See Cook's Notes.

Process in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instruction.

Cook's Notes:

The reason the ice cream in the photos above are sporting ice crystals is because I, um, forgot to add the cream. This particular batch resulting in ice milk.  And while Mr CC and I like the lower calorie properties of ice milk, you might just want to add the cream ... like I tell you to do in the recipe.  One of those do as I say, not as I do things. I'm just sayin'.

I have a negative thing about overly sweetened ice cream and sorbet.  In my opinion, commercially processed products have far too much sugar in them, even the ones that use Splenda.  That said, I will also admit that my frozen desserts may not be sweet enough to the average bear, so add more Splenda, sugar, whatever to result in the sugar rush you desire. Just the right amount will bring out the flavors of your ingredients; too much and you will have a cloying sugar taste - something I obviously strive not to achieve. 

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