Peach-Blueberry Ice Cream Pie

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Bon Appetit recently did a feature on frozen desserts based on treats from gourmet ice cream shops around the country.  All of the options looked fantastic, and so I was excited when my dad picked one of them for Father's Day.  This pie features a cookie crust made with gingersnaps - I loved the spicy flavor the cookies added - way more interesting than graham crackers!  My one quibble with the crust was that there wasn't really enough butter to hold everything together and so the crust was pretty crumbly - this didn't hurt the flavor (and, as you can see in the photo, I sprinkled some of the pieces of crust that didn't make it under the pie onto the top), but I'd add more butter next time so that the crust would be more cohesive.  The crust is topped with peach ice cream that's been mixed with cooked blueberries - an easy filling that's also really delicious.  I think I'd probably use vanilla ice cream next time, but my mom said she preferred it with the peach, so this is really up to your discretion!  My favorite part of this pie was actually the blueberry syrup that comes from the cooked berries. It's the perfect mix of sweet and tart, and really adds something extra special to this frozen dessert.



Peach-Blueberry Ice Cream Pie (adapted from Bon Appetit)

2 cups fresh blueberries, divided
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 package Anna's ginger cookies (5-1/4 ounces)
2 T unsalted butter, melted
1 cup heavy cream, divided
1 pint (2 cups) peach ice cream, softened in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.

1. Place 1-3/4 cups blueberries in a saucepan with the sugar and lemon juice.  Cover and let macerate for one hour at room temperature.
2. Place the saucepan over medium heat and simmer the berries and juices, stirring often, until the berries begin to burst, about 10 minutes.  Strain the berries (a colander works well), and keep both the juice and the berries separately.  Place both bowls in the fridge to chill.
3. While the berries are chilling, make the crust. Crush the ginger cookies using a food processor or a plastic bag and a rolling pin, until they're as crushed as you can get them.  Stir in the melted butter and a splash of cream.  Press the crust into a pie plate, and chill at least 30 minutes before filling.
4. Mix together the softened ice cream and the chilled berries.  Spread into the chilled ginger cookie crust and smooth the top.  Cover and freeze for at least 6 hours (or up to 2 days).
5. Before serving, soften the pie in the fridge for 10 minutes.
6. Whip the cream to medium peaks.  Spread over the pie, and then scatter the remaining 1/4 cup of whole (uncooked) berries on top.  Drizzle with the reserved blueberry juices.