Blue Moon Ice Cream - The Boy with the Blue Wagon

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...You've met this little guy before. You may not know his name, but I guarantee you know him well. Chances are you have a child like this in your own family. He's four going on forty and completely comfortable in the company of adults. He has twenty dollars in his pocket and is at the nursery to buy his mother a gift, a perfect gift, for Mother's Day. He's approached and been helped by every adult in the nursery, but as you can see he's not yet convinced he's made the right choice. He thought about it a while longer and then swapped the red geranium for a Martha Washington with flowers like apple blossoms, " because, silly, it's pretty like my Mom." He's going to be a heartbreaker in another decade. I thought you'd like to meet him on this Blue Monday morning. Have a wonderful day.

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Blue Moon ice cream is really popular in the upper midwestern states. It's hard to find in other areas of the country. While I thought it would be fun to post a recipe for it on National Ice Cream Day, there's no reason for vanilla and chocolate ice cream to wave the flag of surrender. Blue Moon ice cream is an acquired taste. The Chicago Tribune once likened its taste to that of the milk left in a bowl of fruit loops. I offer it here as a curiosity and for those for whom it is a childhood memory. The recipe comes from RecipeZaar. If you're tempted but would like something a bit more sophisticated there are alcoholic versions of this recipe on the internet. Try here or here.


Blue Moon Ice Cream...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, courtesy of RecipeZaar

Ingredients:
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar
3 teaspoons vanilla pudding mix
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup half-and-half
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups heavy cream
1/8 teaspoon blue food coloring
1 teaspoon raspberry flavored oil or 1 cup frozen raspberries, pureed
1 teaspoon lemon extract or lemon extract

Directions:
1. Scald milk in a pan set over medium heat. Add sugar, pudding mix and salt; stir until dissolved. Remove from heat. Add half-and-half, heavy cream, vanilla, raspberry and lemon flavoring. Stir in food coloring.
2) Chill in refrigerator until icy cold. Place in ice cream maker and freeze per manufacturers instructions. Yield: 6 servings.

I'm linking this to Smiling Sally for her Blue Monday event.