Summer "Cobbler" and Blueberry Lime Cheesecake Ice Cream

I'm going to start out by saying this cobbler was kind of weird. Don't get me wrong, it tasted good. But the process was a little unexpected, and I wouldn't necessarily call it a cobbler. More like a dessert version of a dutch baby, with lots and lots of butter.

My plans were set to make the ice cream, and I wanted something warm with berries, something cobbler-like. I had recently found this recipe, so I decided to give it a try. Maybe I didn't look at the picture closely enough, but I swear it looked like a cobbler the first time. I also clearly didn't read the instructions, since that made it obvious it wasn't a classical cobbler either.

Either way, I was definitely surprised once I started making the recipe. You make a batter, that is much more loose than a cobbler drop biscuit. Butter (a whole lot of it) is added to a hot pan, the batter is poured on top, and then the fruit is put on top of that. I guess I just assumed that the fruit would all sink to the bottom? The batter ends up puffing up around all of the fruit. Mine took forever to cook, I think close to an hour.

In the end, it tasted pretty good. Joey didn't love it - said it was too buttery. I think that probably half of the butter could be eliminated. If you want a puffed cake with lots of berries, totally make this. If you want an actual cobbler, then look elsewhere.

Before you leave completely disappointed, this ice cream recipe ROCKS. I've made it 4 or 5 times now, and each time it's just so good. It's super creamy, even after being in the freezer for weeks. It's pretty soft when it is first made, so I would recommend making it at least a few hours before you want to serve it. Also, I add the blueberry swirl in while it's mixing and never get actual swirls - it all combines to give me a blue ice cream. If you want swirls, I would recommend layering it in the container you'll be putting in the freezer, and swirling it by hand.

Recipe: Summer Fruit Skillet Cobbler
From: Seasons and Suppers
Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients:
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
Pinch of kosher salt
1 cup whole milk
3 cups mixed whole or sliced fresh summer fruit (I used peaches, blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 F. Put butter in a 10-inch skillet or 3-quart baking dish and put in the oven to melt the butter while the oven is heating.

Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Add the milk and stir until just combined.

When the butter is fully melted, take the skillet out of the oven and pour the batter over the melted butter - DO NOT MIX! Scatter the fruit over the batter, keeping most of it in the middle of the dish. Don't mix this either.

Bake until the top is a rich golden-brown. Keep an eye on it - can take as little as 30 minutes, or as long as 60 minutes, depending on the size of your pan and the fruit you use.

Serve warm with ice cream.

Recipe: Blueberry Lime Cheesecake Ice Cream
Slightly adapted from Natalie Selavy

Ingredients:
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
3/4 cup sugar
3 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp lime zest
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp corn starch
4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups whole milk, divided
2 tsp lime zest
3/4 cup heavy cream

Directions:
Combine the blueberries, 3/4 cup sugar, lime juice, and 3 tbsp lime zest in a small pot. Whisk together the water and cornstarch, and add to the pot. Turn the heat onto medium and let simmer until thickened, about 10-12 minutes. Let cool completely.

Beat together the cream cheese and 1 cup sugar until fluffy and smooth. Add the egg and vanilla, mix until creamy and set aside.

Bring 3/4 cup of the milk to a boil over medium-low heat. Remove from the heat and add 1/4 cup of the milk to the cream cheese mixture and mix until combined and smooth. Continue with another 1/4 cup at a time of the milk, and then add the entire mixture back to the pan.

Stir over medium-low heat until thickened slightly. Remove from heat, strain mixture, and let cool completely.

(Everything works best if all of your ingredients are really cold, so put in the fridge to cool if possible)

Combine the zest, heavy cream, remaining milk, and cream cheese mixture together. Pour into your ice cream machine and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions.

When ice cream is thickened and finished freezing, slowly pour in the blueberry lime syrup and let swirl a few times in the machine before turning off. (Or create layers in a container, then swirl with a knife a few times.)