Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream & Graham Cracker Sprinkle

for the cheesecake ice cream:

1. Cut cream cheese into small pieces and place into a blender or food processor. Add the lemon zest, sour cream, half-and-half, sugar, and salt. Puree until very smooth. No chunks!
2. Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
3. To get the blueberry ribbon effect that I achieved when scooping the ice cream, spread half the cheesecake ice cream onto the bottom of a small to medium sized flat-bottomed bowl (mine had a 7″ diameter). Spread 1 cup of the blueberry sauce over the ice cream. Then gently spread the remaining ice cream over the top of the blueberry sauce. Freeze for at least 3 hours to firm up the mixture. Alternatively, you could just freeze the cheesecake ice cream on its own and then spoon the blueberry sauce over it when serving.

for the blueberry sauce:

1. Heat the blueberries and sugar in a medium nonreactive pan over medium-high heat until the blueberries begin to release their juices. Mix the cornstarch with the cold water and lemon juice until the mixture is lump-free. Then stir the cornstarch mixture into the blueberries.
2. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the liqueur. Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator. You will need just 1 cup of the chilled blueberry sauce for this ice cream recipe. Spoon the rest over some yogurt, a slice of pound cake, or a waffle!
3. Yield: about 1-1/2 cups

for the graham cracker crust sprinkle:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Stir together all ingredients and then spread crumbs out in a 9″ x 13″ pan. Bake for 5 minutes and then stir. If the crumbs have started to brown, take the pan out of the oven. If not, return to the oven and check after each minute of baking time. Once the crumbs start to brown, they do so very quickly.
3. After scooping the ice cream into bowls or cones, top with some of the graham cracker crust sprinkle. Just like a piece of blueberry cheesecake!
4. Yield: 1/2 cup