Ask any of my friends and family and they’ll tell you my naughtiest craving: ice cream. Maybe you’re my mother. Maybe you’re my friend since grade school. Maybe I just bumped into you after 5 years in the line at The Fairfax Scoop. In any case, we’ve probably bonded over our obsession. And if you’re like me,  you’re probably just as excited when you see chain restaurant fro yo as you are when spotting Italian gelato, say, in the Cinque Terra.  I even convinced Jason (and it didn’t take much) to replace traditional wedding cake with ice cream concoctions. I created “Erin’s late-night bake-athon” and he crafted “Jason’s chocoholic chow down!” It was a marriage made in dairy bliss.

And yet, it’s taken 2 weeks shy of 32 years to actually make my own. My good friend and ice cream lover, Eric Carter, celebrated his birthday last weekend in Tahoe, but the sun-drenched mountains and the chirping birds inspired me to stray from the usual January birthday treats. Yup, I lugged a brand-new ice cream attachment for my Kitchen Aid mixer up to the vacation house, and started the art of ice cream making. I wanted to make one fruity option and one decadent option for the birthday boy, so the first was inspired by the Liz Lemon Ben and Jerry’s flavor. Here is the first of two recipes that successfully rang in Carter’s birthday, and kept us hydrated in this California drought. See the second recipe, “Rocky Peanut Butter Road,” (a more adventurous rocky road) here.

Lemon Berry with Graham Swirls 

Put your ice cream mixer bowl attachment into the freezer at least 10 hours before making this recipe. You may want to double the recipe, as this will only make one pint.

Directions:

1. In a small saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch. Gradually stir in water until smooth. Stir in berries and lemon juice. Boil, then reduce heat to a simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally. Cover and refrigerate until chilled.

2. In a large bowl, combine the cracker crumbs and sugar. Stir in butter. Pat into an small ungreased baking pan. Bake at 350° F for 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely on a wire rack.

3. In a large bowl, whisk the ice cream ingredients. Fill ice cream freezer cylinder two-thirds full; freeze according to manufacturer’s directions.

4. Crumble the graham cracker mixture. In a large container, layer the ice cream, graham cracker mixture and berry sauce three times; swirl. Freeze.