Frozen Lemon Custard

Making homemade ice cream is a funny thing. For something that has to be eaten quickly, it almost always requires some intermediate-ish kitchen skills and lots of patience (cooking…cooling…freezing…hardening…) It’s almost never cheaper to make ice cream rather than buy it. If you like things like hardened peanut butter swirls or marshmallow ribbons, those things are difficult to achieve at home.

But.

It is so. Dang. Good. And fun to make. And satisfying, in the same way that making yeast breads is satisfying. Once you get the hang of it, the possibilities are pretty much endless.

I love lemon everything–lemon candles, lemon cleaning products, savory lemon dishes, lemon-y desserts, lemon lotion. And now that we’re in the thickest, hottest, longest part of the summer here in Louisiana (and really, this summer hasn’t been nearly as terrible as past summers; I wore a sweatshirt the other night, which leads me to believe that it’s likely the apocalypse is upon us.) So during the hottest, stickiest weeks of the summer, I’m shunning chocolate, real food, and denim and am 100% behind all things citrus, which includes lemon. Lemon ice cream. Well, really, this is frozen custard (which is funny because you’d think that would make it heavy and thick, but it’s just light and smooth and luxurious.) Guys…right now, it’s my favorite.

For the custard, you’re going to need lemons, heavy whipping cream, half and half, sugar, and a pinch of salt.

In a large saucepan, combine the heavy cream,

half and half, salt, sugar,

and lemon zest.

Over medium-low heat, stirring very frequently, heat the mixture until bubbles form around the edges. Remove from heat.

While the mixture is heating, whisk 5 egg yolks together.

After you’ve removed the cream mixture from heat, remove 1 cup of the hot cream mixture from the pan. Very slowly, just a few tablespoons at a time, and whisking constantly, pour the hot cream mixture into the eggs. If you add the cream mixture too quickly the eggs will scramble, so go slow and be patient.

After you’ve added all the hot cream mixture, return the pan with the cream mixture to medium-low heat and slowly whisk in the egg mixture. Heat, stirring constantly, until thickened–it’s ready when you dip the back of a spoon into the mixture and, when you drag your finger through it, it leaves a trail.

Remove from heat and chill in the refrigerator (for several hours or overnight).

When the mixture is chilled, add 3/4 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice

and stir to combine. (Do you like the toddler photo bomb in the background? I’m rolling with it here.) Freeze according to your ice cream maker’s instructions (in a 4-5 quart machine).

While the ice cream is churning, take a package of shortbread cookies

and break them.

During the final few minutes of churning (or after you remove the ice cream from the machine),

mix in the broken cookies.

Transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze for at least four hours before serving. Makes 10-12 servings.