The gelatería: closing week

It is my deepest wish, one day, to open a gelatería.

I have harbored this hope for as long as I can remember. There have been defining moments, of course, when the dream has deepened: the first sip of my father's weekly chocolate milkshakes, the days I spent walking across Madrid from heladería to heladería in search of the perfect scoop, my summer as the ice cream girl sneaking Moose Tracks at Mac's Seafood.

But in my mind, the life of the shop has always remained a constant. It will be open summers only, from Memorial Day to Labor Day in the heat of the sun and the cool, hazy calm of evening. It will be surrounded by wire tables, carefully divided between sun and shade. Most importantly, it will be all about fruit.

The offerings will change with the seasons, ranging from gelatos to ice creams to sherbets to sorbets. Opening week will bring rhubarb, June strawberry, July blueberry, and August a medley of watermelon-raspberry. This week, it would be blackberry.

The blackberries near the marsh are in full swing now. They've ripened and deepened and the paths into the briars are well worn and beaten. Just the other day, I picked a gallon—a whole gallon!—in under a half hour. I mashed them up with a heap of sugar, poured in a splash of buttermilk, and let the ice cream machine do the rest. Seeds and cream churned into a deep violet perfection, and I could almost picture the first sold scoop.

Maybe next year.

BUTTERMILK BLACKBERRY SHERBET

Makes 2 quarts

In a large bowl, pour 2 cups of sugar over 4 cups of blackberries. Let stand 30 minutes, or until blackberries begin to juice. Add 2 cups buttermilk or sour milk, and mix well in a blender. Pour into ice cream machine and churn according to manufacturers instructions.

OR

If you don’t have an ice cream machine, put the mixture into a 9-inch square pan, cover, and freeze for 8 hours. Break frozen mixture into chunks and beat in a blender until smooth. Return to the pan, cover and freeze 3 hours or until firm.