Fresh ingredients are the highlight of homemade ice cream
Anyone who knows me knows I really like ice cream. It’s the one
food I can’t resist and I have some of it almost everyday
– usually in a small portion of low-fat ice cream and
occasionally in a small portion of the real stuff.
So it’s probably no surprise that I’ve been coveting an
automatic ice cream maker for a few years. I never bought one
because they are pretty pricey and it just seemed like something I
could live without.
Fresh ingredients are the highlight of homemade ice cream
Anyone who knows me knows I really like ice cream. It’s the one food I can’t resist and I have some of it almost everyday – usually in a small portion of low-fat ice cream and occasionally in a small portion of the real stuff.
So it’s probably no surprise that I’ve been coveting an automatic ice cream maker for a few years. I never bought one because they are pretty pricey and it just seemed like something I could live without.
Then last January, it dawned on me that I had several $50 gift cards to Macy’s in my purse, way more than enough to buy an automatic ice cream maker. I spent some time looking over the different models before deciding on a mid-end one. Of course, I also had to make a trip to the grocery store for some ingredients to mix up my first batch of ice cream.
For the first batch, I made strawberry ice cream – with frozen strawberries, since it was the middle of winter. I was a bit impatient and didn’t let the inner chamber of the ice cream maker get cold enough for the first batch. The next time I let it chill overnight and then made peach ice cream – with frozen peaches. The ice cream still came out about soft-serve consistency, but it froze up well when packed into a container and put into the freezer for a few hours.
I put it away for the rest of the winter, as I started on my healthy eating kick. But I knew when summer came along I would want to try a few recipes with fresh ingredients. I had in mind one with fresh strawberries, perhaps with cherries and definitely peaches. But I never thought of Meyer lemons until a few vendors at the local farmers market had them for sale. I bought a half dozen last week and set out to make some creamy frozen lemon custard.
I’ve never made custard before – frozen or otherwise. I was a little overwhelmed at the thought of tempering eggs – the act of slowly warming them up with hot liquid so they don’t scramble – and was also concerned about heating the cream too high. Somewhere in the middle of making the mix, it became clear something had gone wrong as the heavy cream, eggs and other ingredients did not turn into a smooth custard, but were kind of a lumpy mess.
I decided to toss it into the ice cream maker after it chilled for a while in hopes that the mixture would somehow become cohesive as it froze. It stayed separated and the result was a tart custard that tasted great but had a strange lumpy consistency.
Later in the weekend, I decided to go with a tried and true recipe that required no cooking. It’s hard to go wrong with fresh fruit, sugar and cream. The fresh strawberry ice cream came out perfectly.
Meyer Lemon Custard Ice Cream
www.alwaysorderdessert.com
2 1/2 c. heavy cream
3/4 c. sugar (or Splenda)
Zest of one whole Meyer lemon, peeled into strips
Pinch of salt
6 large egg yolks
1 c. fresh Meyer lemon juice
Combine the cream, lemon peel, salt, and sugar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Bring to just a boil and let simmer for a few minutes to infuse the cream with the scent of the lemon peel.
In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks until creamy in color.
Temper the eggs by slowly trickling in a portion of the cream mixture, stirring until well blended. This will warm up the eggs slowly so that they don’t scramble when you pour into the hot cream. Pour the egg cream mixture back into the saucepan containing the rest of the cream, stirring continuously.
Continue to cook over medium heat, stirring until the custard thickens and coats the back of a spoon. (About 7 minutes.)
When ready, remove from flame, pour into a clean bowl, and stir in the Meyer lemon juice. Let cool for a few minutes and then place in refrigerator to chill.
Once cool, pour the chilled custard into your ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer’s instruction.
The ice cream will be thicker than most. It actually is quite perfect straight from the ice cream maker, but can be stored in an air-tight container in the freezer for up to a week. Note that it will likely freeze very hard due to the high fat content of the cream, so be sure to take it out a couple minutes before serving. This recipe can be easily converted to low-carb with the substitution of Splenda for the sugar.
Meyer lemon ice cream
3 tsp. lemon zest
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. Meyer lemon juice
1 c. milk
1 c. heavy cream
1 pinch salt
Zest and juice the Meyer lemons. About two will be needed for the juice.
Combine the salt, sugar, milk and heavy cream. Stir until the sugar has dissolved completely. Add in the zest and the lemon juice.
Chill the mixture for several hours in the refrigerator, stirring occasionally.
Remove the mixture from the refrigerator and add to an ice cream maker. Follow instructions for the machine, but it should take about 25-30 minutes to freeze.
Ice cream will be soft serve consistency. Freeze for harder consistency.
Strawberry ice cream
1 lb. strawberries, trimmed, halved if large
3/4 c. sugar
A splash of fresh lemon juice
A pinch of salt
2 c. heavy cream
Combine the strawberries, sugar, lemon juice and salt. Smash the fruit with a potato masher. Let stand, stirring and mashing occasionally, 10 minutes.
Transfer half of strawberry mixture and puree in a blender or with a hand blender. Mix the pureed strawberries in with the cream. Reserve the other half of chunkier strawberries.
Chill both mixtures in the refrigerator for three to six hours, stirring occasionally. (I only chilled it for half an hour in the freezer and it worked okay.)
Add the strawberry cream to an ice cream maker while reserving the chunky strawberry mix. Allow to churn for 20 minutes. Add in reserved strawberries for the last 5 to 10 minutes. The mixture will be soft serve consistency. Put in an airtight container and freeze for a few hours to harden ice cream.
