Thursday, July 5, 2012

Blue Moon Ice Cream



Holidays, such as July 4th, always make me a little nostalgic, so naturally I go looking for some childhood memories...mainly food. One of my favorite food memories involves an ice cream flavor that may be the dessert equivalent  of mystery meat. No Kidding. I googled this stuff and it's described as tasting like everything from pineapple to marshmallows to Fruit Loops. If you've ever lived in Michigan or Wisconsin, you will know this ice cream is called Blue Moon. If you grew up anywhere else, you probably won't know what I'm talking about....



Recently, a new soda fountain opened up in St. Paul. Of course, I had to check it out and, lo and behold, they sold Blue Moon ice cream. I hadn't tasted Blue Moon since I was about ten, so I asked for a taste. Holy Smokes! It was spot on! For the record, they described the taste as the milk left over from your bowl of Fruit Loops...not a bad comparison. I had to see what I could do to make it at home.

I found a few recipes on the Internet that looked promising. One in particular, from Food.com,  sounded like it might be right, so I started with that and put my own spin on it. 


Blue Moon Ice Cream

2 eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon raspberry extract
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1 packet of Duncan Hines® Frosting Creations™ Cotton Candy Flavor Mix (or sub 1 tablespoon vanilla pudding mix)
1/2 teaspoon blue food coloring
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream

In a small bowl, beat together the eggs and the sugar with a hand mixer until thickened and lemon colored, about 2 minutes. Stir in the vanilla, raspberry, and lemon extracts, the flavor mix, and the food coloring; set aside.

 



I found the Cotton Candy flavored Frosting Creations at the store...it sounded like it might just fit in to this recipe. As a bonus, it's blue! Since I used eggs in this recipe though, it wasn't blue enough...it had a slight green tinge, so I still added some blue food coloring.

Place the milk and the cream in a medium sized saucepan. Heat over medium/low heat until the mixture just comes to a simmer. Slowly whisk the egg mixture into the hot cream and continue to heat until it comes to a boil, whisking constantly. Reduce the heat and simmer for another two minutes. Remove from heat and chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Pour the chilled cream into an ice cream maker and churn according to directions, about 30 minutes.  If a firmer consistency is desired, transfer the ice cream into an airtight container and freeze for several hours.


Oh, yes! This is pretty darn close. Next time I'll try the vanilla pudding mix to see if there is a difference. 

What special food did you make for the 4th of July?


31 comments:

  1. I've never heard of it!! LOL but I love when you find something you loved as a child!! Did you make the cone bowls too??

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    1. Hi Laurie! Nope--the waffle bowls came from a box. :)

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  2. ¡Es muy cremoso! Me gusta mucho.
    Saludos!

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  3. I am originally from Michigan, so when we go to ice cream shops here in the GA (or CT when we were there) and ask for blue moon they think we are crazy..its my husbands favorite flavor, so i will have to give it a try for sure. is there a way to do this if i dont have and ice cream maker?

    p.s. we love superman ice cream as well and that doesnt seem to exist anywhere but MI either lol

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    1. Oh my...I haven't tried it without an ice cream maker. I don't think the texture would come out the same. Now I have to go check out Superman Ice Cream! :)

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    2. i guess i'll have to break and finally go get an ice cream maker.. true superman ice cream has blue moon in it, along with a red and yellow something..i cant even guess what it is either, its just good :)

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    3. We have Superman ice cream in the South too! It's hard to find due to the dwindling number of Mom and Pop ice cream parlors, but it was a staple during those hot, humid summers of my youth :)

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  4. I have never heard of our tried Blue Moon but my first thoughts were to cotton candy the way you described it. It certainly is a pretty shade of blue!
    thanks for sharing your ice cream and your memories with us!

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  5. This color is SO pretty, Cathy! I have never heard of Blue Moon other than beer :)! But? This sounds like something I would enjoy!!

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    1. I know, right? I kept getting references to beer when I was looking it up!

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  6. I've never heard of this, but that doesn't mean that I won't be making it in my kitchen VERY soon! YUM!

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    1. Thanks, Jen--it certainly is a unique flavor. :)

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  7. A goregeous celebration my friend - this is one of the most beautiful ice creams I have ever seen :)

    Cheers
    Choc Chip Uru

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  8. How fun is THAT!!! And nope...never heard of it out here. If I ever see it, I'll have to try it.

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  9. My granddaughter is going to love this!

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  10. Totally forgot about blue moon ice cream! Had no idea it was only in Michigan and Wisconsin - but it makes sense since I haven't seen it since I was a kid....
    Always made your tongue blue - loved it!
    Thanks for the memory reminder.
    KathyJ

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  11. I grew up on the East Coast, so I've never had blue moon ice cream. But the color alone has me wanting to try this! And don't you just love the milk at the bottom of any sweet cereal bowl! This looks fabulous! : )

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  12. Wow! I love this recipe! So pinning this. And the photos are gorg! Love the one with the red berries, blue ice cream and waffle bowls. So pretty!

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  13. My daughter lives in S.C., however grew up in Wisconsin and loving her blue moon ice cream as a child! It's not just for kids! When are the southern states and others going to catch on to this great ice cream flavor? It's like not having cheese curds on a menu! What are they thinking?

    My opinion blue moon has an almond flavor.

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  14. I was sitting here eating a bowl of superman and decided to google blue moon for kicks. I live in the pacific northwest but grew up in Michigan. My parents still live here and I HAVE to buy a carton of superman every time I come home. Blue moon is my favorite flavor, but I also live the "red" flavor which I heard is black cherry. I will die if companies stop making it! Love the local aspect of it!

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    1. Oh, I have to find some of this Superman ice cream I keep hearing about. Is a trip to Wisconsin in order, or do I find it somewhere else?

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  15. Living in the UK there is no Cotton Candy Frosting Mix or vanilla pudding mix, I'm guessing that Vanilla Whip or Bird's custard mix might work as well. I'm going to have to give this a try.

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  16. This isn't anything like the Blue Moon I grew eating in the 60's. It was a mixture of pineapple & vanilla flavor and had little flecks of pineapple all through it.

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  17. This isn't anything like the Blue Moon I grew eating in the 60's. It was a mixture of pineapple & vanilla flavor and had little flecks of pineapple all through it.

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  18. I work at at an ice cream shop in MI and we're told to tell customers that Blue Moon is almond flavored!

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  19. I grew up in Ohio and it was a staple there, too! Always my favorite. Thanks for the recipe! <3 :)

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