At Arrows, we make everything from scratch, including this rich, fruity ice cream that tastes like the essence of summer. To make raspberry or vanilla ice cream, see the note that follows this recipe.

Blueberry Ice Cream
Arrows Restaurant, Ogunquit

3 cups blueberries, plus a few additional for garnish
¼ cup water
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup sugar
Zest of 1 small lemon
5 large egg yolks

Put the blueberries and water in a medium stainless-steel saucepan and cook over very low heat until the berries soften, about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside to cool.

Transfer the berries to the jar of a blender and purée until completely smooth. Cover and refrigerate until needed or up to 1 day.

Fill a large bowl halfway with ice water. Have ready a smaller stainless-steel bowl that will sit in the ice bath.

Combine the cream, sugar, and lemon zest in a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Bring the liquid to a simmer and turn off the heat.

Whisk the egg yolks in a medium bowl until light in color. Slowly add the hot cream while whisking constantly. Return the liquid to the saucepan and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, over medium heat until it reaches a temperature of 180° on a kitchen thermometer or it coats the back of the spoon. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve into the small bowl and place the bowl in the ice bath.

Stir the mixture until it cools slightly, then stir in the blueberry purée. Chill thoroughly, stirring occasionally.

Freeze the mixture in an ice cream machine, following the manufacturer's instructions. Serve at once or store the ice cream in a sealed container in the freezer for up to 1 week.

To Serve:

Place 2 scoops of ice cream in each of 6 chilled bowls. Garnish with fresh blueberries.

Notes:

To make red, white, and blue ice cream for the 4th of July, make one batch of blueberry, another batch substituting raspberries for blueberries, and a third batch of vanilla ice cream. Serve as triple scoops in ice cream cones or in bowls.

When making raspberry ice cream, cook the berries for just 3 minutes and pass the berry purée through a fine sieve after puréeing to remove the tiny seeds.

To make vanilla ice cream, omit the berries and lemon zest. When adding cream, increase amount to 3 cups and add the seeds from 1 vanilla bean. (Instead of vanilla seeds, you could add 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract.)

Makes about 1 quart, or 6 servings.

Clark Frasier and Mark Gaier are the chef-owners of Arrows restaurant in Ogunquit.