I am not the world’s most breezy pregnant person.

I am certainly not the first to carry a child, nor will I be the last. Pandemic aside, things have been pretty uneventful and I am incredibly grateful for this. But I wish more women could talk about how much of a nine-month mind fuck pregnancy is. The human race depends on us to continue with this arrangement (though it is debatable how well our little experiment is going at the moment).

For close to a year, pregnant women ride a merry-go-round of cruel and unusual symptoms and are still expected to perform their jobs managing offices or cleaning toilets or making sure their other children have carrot sticks and aren’t drinking bleach (often all of the above). Why isn’t this discussed in daily conversation?

I imagine it could go something like this:

No, I cannot sit down because my hemorrhoid has birthed its own baby and they are both bleeding.

Yes, I look tired because it takes me an hour to fall asleep and I wake up four times a night to empty my bladder.

I’m sorry, I lost focus. My baby just nestled her head directly on a nerve, which sent a lightening bolt through my vagina.

It feels like I have a sack of squirrels trying to tunnel into my small intestine and I got distracted for a moment. Please, go on talking about how much you miss the beach.

These are not meant as complaints. Just the facts. They also pale in comparison with getting to finally meet our baby girl. But second on my list is a date with a turkey sandwich. Followed by a glass of wine. I also cannot wait to put on my own socks. These are the realities of having one’s body hijacked.

During the takeover, distractions have come in handy. For a while, I was making ice cream on a biweekly basis. We had to jettison the ice cream maker bowl that is normally stored in the freezer to make room for more practical frozen food items. This left me with a craving.

I have always been skeptical of no-churn ice creams, but came across a fruit-based version from pastry chef, Stella Parks. It looked incredibly creamy and was an insane deep magenta hue, thanks to a very clever use of dried blueberries. I tried the recipe and never looked back.

It requires that you make a Swiss meringue, which is one of my favorite dessert techniques, though it can be a little stressful if you’ve never done it before. But it safely cooks the egg whites and also coaxes them into strong, delicate clouds with the mere addition of sugar and a little acid.

Stella’s other genius idea is to rely on freeze-dried fruit, which doesn’t impart additional moisture into the ice cream. This helps keep the ice crystals away and the flavor bright. The result is an incredibly rich, yet refreshing frozen dessert that screams summer. I’ve tried a number of varieties and settled on raspberry to share. Strawberry is a household favorite too, but the world probably does not need another strawberry ice cream recipe. (If you do, simply swap out the fruit and you’re golden.)

So there you have it. I guess this is basically a story about a pregnant woman and her ice cream cravings. But there are lessons here for all of us.

First, please be kind to pregnant people. They have usually traded earthly delights, like wine and cheese, for hemorrhoids and insomnia. They are also carrying humans who will go on to become world leaders and nurses and bartenders, so we are really all in this together anyway.

There is also an unreasonable amount of joy that can come from taking a leap to try something new. Particularly when that something is ice cream.

Raspberry Ice Cream

Adapted from Serious Eats, Courtesy of Stella Parks

Ingredients:

60 grams freeze-dried raspberries (or other fruit, see notes)
140 grams egg whites (about 2/3 cup or roughly 4 eggs, depending on the size)
165 grams sugar (about ¾ cup)
1½ grams kosher salt (about ¼ teaspoon), see note
10 grams fresh lemon juice (a scant tablespoon)
340 grams heavy cream (1½ cups)
15 grams Amaro or other complimentary spirit, like Grand Marnier (1 tablespoon)
1/8 teaspoon ground coriander (optional)

Instructions:

In a food processor, grind the raspberries (or other fruit) to a fine powder. Even if you think it’s fine enough, grind it some more. This will help the fruit smoothly incorporate and you’ll avoid grainy ice cream. Using a sieve, sift out the seeds and discard them. You may not be able to get all the seeds out, but aim to remove at least two-thirds and you’ll have a much creamier final product. Fruits with smaller seeds, like blueberries or strawberries, don’t need sifting. Set the powder aside.

Fill a medium saucepan with an inch or two of water. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer (aim for medium to medium low heat).

In a stainless steel or heat-resistant bowl that can sit over your saucepan without touching the water directly, combine the egg whites, sugar, salt, and lemon juice. Once the water is simmering, place the bowl over the saucepan and continuously whisk the egg white mixture until it reaches 165 degrees (this should take about 5 minutes). The whites will froth up a little during this time and eventually thicken slightly and then deflate and get almost syrupy when they are done. (Keep a thermometer nearby.) You may also want an oven mitt handy to steady the bowl while you whisk.

(It is important you constantly mix during this time and don’t let the eggs sit, as they may heat too rapidly and scramble. If your mixture threatens to scramble, remove the bowl, whisk furiously, and turn down the heat before proceeding.)

Pour the egg mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk at high speed until stiff glossy peaks form. Transfer the meringue to another bowl. Using the same stand mixer bowl (no need to clean it), combine the heavy cream, fruit powder, alcohol, and spice (if using). Whip until stiff and thick, it will look like frosting when it’s done.

Gently fold in the meringue and spoon it into a freezer-safe container with a lid (a ceramic baking dish or loaf pan works in a pinch too). Cover with a layer of plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto the ice cream. If using the baking dish or loaf pan, cover it with foil if you do not have a lid.

Let freeze for at least 6 to 8 hours before eating. (It will last at least 3 weeks in the freezer.)

Makes a robust quart of ice cream

Notes:

If you don’t have a kitchen scale, check the package of freeze-dried fruit for a weight. Using this brand, 60 grams is almost two packages.
Other wonderful flavor combinations include: strawberries with amaretto, blueberries with gin and coriander (cinnamon is nice too), and bananas with pineapple rum.
If you are not using large grain kosher salt, like David’s brand, cut the volume of the salt in half to just a pinch.