Makes one 9-inch pie

In this town, ice cream is a food for all seasons. But only at this time of year can you have it with local blueberries. When assembling the pie, whisk the marmalade so it slides smoothly off the spoon, and soften the ice cream just enough to even it out in the crust. A nice little bonus with the pie is that it can be made at least a week ahead and stored in the freezer; the blueberry sauce can be cooked days before and refrigerated.

CRUST

Butter (for the pan)

14 pecan shortbread cookies, broken

7 teaspoons unsalted butter, melted

1. Set the oven at 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch pie pan. Have on hand an 8-inch pie pan.

2. In a food processor, work the cookies until they resemble crumbs (about 1¾ cups).

3. In a large bowl, with a large rubber spatula, combine the cookie crumbs and butter. Spread the mixture evenly on the bottom of the 9-inch pan. Set the 8-inch pie pan on top and press down to spread the crumbs on the bottom and sides of the larger pan. Remove the smaller pan. Alternately, the crumbs can be pressed into place with a rubber spatula.

4. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Set the pan on a wire rack to cool.

FILLING

½ cup orange marmalade, whisked to loosen

2 pints vanilla ice cream, slightly softened

1. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the marmalade on the bottom of the crust. It will be a thin layer and not cover the bottom. Top with 1 pint of the ice cream. Spoon about half the remaining marmalade sparingly on top. Repeat layers with the remaining ice cream and marmalade. Freeze the pie 3 hours or until firm. Cover with plastic wrap and return to freezer.

2. Transfer the pie to the refrigerator about 40 minutes before serving to soften the ice cream. Cut the pie into wedges and serve with the blueberry sauce.

SAUCE

⅓ cup sugar

2½ teaspoons cornstarch

⅔ cup cold water

1 pint blueberries

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1. In a saucepan, whisk the sugar, cornstarch, and water. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until the mixture comes to a boil. Add the blueberries and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes or until the mixture resembles a sauce.

2. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the lemon juice; cool. The sauce can be made ahead and refrigerated. If you like, warm before serving. Jean Kressy

Jean Kressy can be reached at jeankressy@comcast.net