Elderberry Ice Cream

5 from 5 votes
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elderberry ice cream recipe in a bowl
Photo by Holly A. Heyser

I love ice creams. They are my main weakness when it comes to sweets, which I don’t normally go in for that much. I specialize in weird ice creams — herbs like yerba buena and wild mints are favorites — as well as berries you might not have thought to use in ice creams.

Elderberries fall into this category. They live in most states, and are ripe from June to September, depending on where you live. Only use ripe berries, as the green ones are slightly toxic. Take them off the stems (tedious but necessary) and make a syrup out of them first; instructions are below.

You then use this syrup to flavor a standard custard-based ice cream. But wait! I’ll add one more flavor dimension in: buttermilk. I love the idea of a slightly sour, tangy edge to an ice cream, and even just a little bit adds a lot to the flavor.

Close up of ripe elderberries.
Photo by Hank Shaw
Three scoops of elderberry ice cream in a bowl.
5 from 5 votes

Elderberry Ice Cream

You can also make this ice cream with more typical fruit, such as strawberries, raspberries and blueberries. Serve with a drizzle of honey, molasses, chocolate sauce or some leftover fruit syrup.
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 10 servings
Author: Hank Shaw
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Ingredients 

  • 2 cups elderberries, stripped off the stems
  • 1 cup water
  • Sugar to taste
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 1 1/2 cups milk
  • 3 to 4 tablespoons buttermilk
  • 5 egg yolks
  • 1 tablespoon elderberry liqueur, cassis or other dark fruit liqueur (optional)

Instructions 

  • First make the syrup. To make a syrup out of a seedy fruit like an elderberry, add about 2 cups of the elderberries to a pot and pour 1 cup of water over them. Heat slowly until it simmers and the berries begin bursting. Keep the berries at a slow simmer and begin pouring in sugar. Start with 1/2 cup and stir it in well. Taste and add more if you want. Don’t go higher than 1 1/2 cups of sugar. Simmer for 5 minutes or so and then take off the heat.
  • Let the syrup cool a bit, then push it through a food mill with the finest setting, or a medium-meshed sieve. Elderberry seeds tend to be small, so you will need to account for that. Use a mesh that prevents them from getting through. Try to get as much pulp in as you can — it adds body to the syrup, and later the ice cream. Pour the syrup into a jar and chill it in the fridge. A syrup like this will last for weeks in the fridge, so you can make it far in advance.
  • When you want to make the ice cream, pour the cream and milk into a heavy pot and put it over a medium-high flame. Add the syrup. How much? I use 1 1/2 cups of elderberry syrup, but it will depend on your taste. Use as little as 1/2 cup, or as much as 2 cups. Just add and taste, and do it bit by bit, tasting as you go.
  • Bring the mixture to about 160°F, which is steaming but not simmering. Lower the heat a bit for now. Get a bowl and beat the egg yolks.
  • Now comes the tricky part: With a ladle in one hand and a whisk or fork in the other, slowly pour some hot cream into the egg yolks. Do this very slowly at first, whisking the eggs all the time with your other hand. Pour in another ladle, which can go in a little faster, then one more ladle, just to be sure. You are tempering your egg yolks, so they do not scramble in your cream mixture — this is making a custard. Pour the hot egg-cream mixture into the pot and whisk well.
  • Add the buttermilk – you can add more if you want, but use your taste as a guide. Whisk everything really well. Bring the mixture to 160°F, then take it off the heat. Again, this is not quite a simmer. Let it cool on the counter for 15 minutes or so, then add the liqueur. You use this both for flavor and to prevent the ice cream from setting up like a rock in the freezer. Put the mixture in the fridge to chill thoroughly, even overnight. Once it’s cold, pour into your ice cream maker and follow its directions.

Notes

This recipe makes about 1 quart. 

Nutrition

Calories: 242kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 167mg | Sodium: 42mg | Potassium: 176mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 1063IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 96mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Tried this recipe? Tag me today!Mention @huntgathercook or tag #hankshaw!

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About Hank Shaw

Hey there. Welcome to Hunter Angler Gardener Cook, the internet’s largest source of recipes and know-how for wild foods. I am a chef, author, and yes, hunter, angler, gardener, forager and cook. Follow me on Instagram and on Facebook.

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6 Comments

  1. Wow! Nothing can really compare to homemade recipes. I’ve been wanting to prepare ice cream using fresh and seasoned fruits but can’t get the gust to kick off. After seeing this, I am now more eager to give it a try!

  2. Please let me know when Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup season rolls around and the locations of said bushes where they might be procured for Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream. Thank you my friend.

  3. Fun recipe! Freezing makes destemming the Elderberries so much easier. Learned that trick last year.