This ice cream is reminiscent of the lemon ice cream you used to be able to get at the drugstore. I use a chinois to strain out any lemon rind to produce silky smooth ice cream. The original recipe calls for zested lemon without straining, but I find the occassional zest in the ice cream to be a distraction from the creamy texture of this ice cream. The original recipe, from Desserts to Die For, also calls for twice as much butter, which left our spoons a little greasy. The butter definitely has a purpose, however, and halving the quantity called for to only two tablespoons did the trick.
Cream base
1 cup sugar
1 cup whole milk
3 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter
Custard base
8 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
Lemon syrup base
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon rind
1 cup lemon juice
Heat cream base
Combine the ingredients of the cream base in a saucepan and heat over medium heat until simmering, stirring occasionally.
Slowly add cream to eggs and cook until thickened
In an electric mixer, whisk the custard base well until the mixture thickens and turns a bright yellow color. While this is mixing, slowly add the hot cream base. Continue to mix until mixture is well blended and then return this mixture to saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly until mixture reaches 185° F. Remove from heat and pour mixture through a chinois to remove any lumps. Place the mixture in an ice bath and chill.
Prepare the lemon flavorings
While the custard base is chilling. Heat the lemon syrup base over medium high heat until boiling then reduce heat to medium and continue boiling for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and let cool. Once cool, you can combine with the fresh lemon juice. I like my finished ice cream smooth, so I strain this lemon zest, syrup and juice mixture with a mesh seive, but you can skip this step if you like bits of zest in your finished ice cream.
Freeze ice cream
Once the custart mixture has cooled to about 45° F, blend in the lemon juice and syrup. Freeze ice cream according to your ice cream maker's instructions and then transfer to a dedicated, smell-free container to let ripen in the freezer for several hours.
