… that doesn’t really look all that ripply. Apologies.
I put plenty of sprinkles on it though, does that count?
The supposed ripples in this homemade lemon ice cream come in the form of lots of tangy lemon curd. My lemon curd came from a jar, but bonus points if you make your own. I’ve been told it’s not that hard, and way better than the shop-bought stuff. But I was already making ice cream guys. And cookies. Give me a break.
Honesty is the best policy – if you have an ice cream maker, then this recipe is going to be a lot easier to put together than if you don’t. But, if you don’t have access to a machine, then please do read my post on how to make ice cream without an ice cream maker, which apparently is the most popular post I’ve ever written 🙂
Making good quality ice cream from scratch is always going to take up a lot of time. So if you are looking for a quick recipe, then this is most definitely not it. You need to make sure the bowl of your ice cream maker is in the freezer 24 hours before you are ready to churn your ice cream, and you are also going to need to put the ice cream mix in the fridge overnight to get really cold before it gets anywhere near the machine. Oh, and let’s not forget that the soft serve ice cream that comes out of your machine will need another few hours in the freezer to properly harden up before you can demolish it.
Basically, this is the type of recipe that you want to tackle on a weekend.
Enough with the flaws – I definitely wouldn’t make a good saleswoman. Or maybe I’m just really great at managing your expectations?
Only positives from here on in:
If you want to feel really great about something, then I find that making ice cream gives you a sense of pride and accomplishment that you just don’t get from cookies. Anyone can make a cookie. I mean, anyone can make ice cream too, but don’t tell them I told you that.
Plus, you can make any flavour of ice cream you want. You want zesty lemon ice cream, instead of plain old lemon sorbet? Then be my guest. The world is your ice cream parlour.
Oh, I’ve found another flaw (or maybe not?) – the amount of really bad things in this ice cream. So much cream and full fat milk. Loads of sugar. And absolutely nothing good for you* in any way. I always forget how bad ice cream is for you until I whip up a batch. It’s unhealthiness in a bowl. But, sometimes that’s just what you need, yes?
*Lemons are a fruit. Can someone let me know if there is any possibility of calling this ice cream one of our five a day?
My top tip for making ice cream is to make sure that your mix is really damn cold before you put it in your ice cream maker. Definitely leave it in the fridge overnight. And make sure your ice cream maker bowl is completely frozen. The colder the ice cream bowl and mixture, the quicker the ice crystals will form, and the smoother and creamier your ice cream will be. Smooth and creamy is definitely what we are after here.
Once the ice cream has been churned in your machine, you will need to transfer it to a tub and pop it in the freezer for another few hours to properly set. And this is the time to add the lemon curd. Add teaspoon-fulls of curd to the ice cream as you transfer it from the ice cream machine to the tub, and then give it a bit of a swirl with a knife or a toothpick to get that curd evenly distributed.
If lemon ice cream isn’t your thing, then go check out my chocolate ice cream, whether it’s Easter or not. And *spoilers* there is a batch of freshly churned pistachio ice cream hardening up in the freezer as I type.
I am so excited to keep experimenting with my new ice cream maker, so please do let me know if you have any ideas for flavours you want me to test out. I’m open to pretty much anything!
- 300ml (1¼ cups) double or heavy cream
- 300ml (1¼ cups) whole milk
- 115g (½ cup + 1 tablespoon) golden caster sugar (or US granulated sugar)
- Zest of two lemons
- 3 large egg yolks
- Juice of one lemon
- 275g (1¼ cups) lemon curd
- Pour the cream and whole milk into a medium sized saucepan, and add the sugar and lemon zest. Heat on low until the sugar has dissolved - this should take about 5 minutes. Make sure to stir occasionally whilst heating.
- Once the sugar has dissolved, remove from the heat and leave to cool for 30 minutes. This will help the lemon flavour to develop.
- Place the egg yolks into a small bowl and beat with a fork. Set aside.
- Place the cream mixture back onto a medium-low heat, stirring continuously as it warms. Once steam starts to come off the saucepan, add about a third of a cup of the warm cream into the egg yolks. Give the eggs a stir, and repeat. This will help to bring the egg yolks up to the temperature of the cream, without the yolks cooking. Pour the egg yolks into the saucepan, and then stir the mixture until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. This will take less than 10 minutes - if the mixture starts to bubble at all, remove from the heat. You do not want it to boil.
- Remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool slightly. Pour the cream mixture into a bowl, and place in the fridge overnight, or for at least five hours.
- The next day, add the juice of one lemon to the cream mixture and stir well. Pour into your ice cream maker, and churn as per the machine's instructions.
- Once churned, spoon into another bowl or tub, along with teaspoon-fulls of lemon curd. Use a knife or toothpick to swirl the lemon curd into the ice cream. Place in the freezer to harden up properly.
- Homemade ice cream will not keep as well as store-bought, so do not keep for longer than a month. If the top of the ice cream crystallises, then the ice cream underneath may still be good, so don't throw it away just yet!
