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Tuesday, May 12, 2009

The Best He's Ever Had



I had some extra egg yolks waiting for me in the fridge after the buttercream I tried the other day. I thought, 'custard!' Noooo, ice cream. Ice cream made from custard. I've always wanted to do that, I've heard it makes a much better ice cream, but when it came right down to it I was too lazy and just dumped stuff into my little machine. So I did a little Googling and a little adapting and came up with this. . . .

Lemon Custard Ice Cream

6 egg yolks

6 tablespoons sugar
zest of one lemon
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cup cream
1 teaspoon lemon juice


In a large bowl, beat the yolks, sugar and lemon zest until thick and lemon colored.
Heat the milk to a low simmer in a medium pot over medium low heat.
Temper a bit of the milk into the egg mixture and beat well.
Continue to slowly add the milk until incorporated.
Return mixture back to pot and stir constantly over low heat until mixture coats the back of a spoon.
Pour into a bowl and allow to cool, then stash in the fridge for 4-24 hours.
Whisk in the cream and lemon juice and pour into your ice cream machine.
Churn as usual and freeze for at least 2 hours.

It was fantastic! Sweet and smooth and creamy and lemony. It wasn't really tart, I'm thinking I want to try a sherbet with more of a tart flavor. And next time I make this I think I'll strain out the zest right before it goes into the ice cream machine.

So I gave some to my in-house food critic for a taste test. I was busy with the kids and he was doing schoolwork in the bedroom, so I didn't get to ask him what he thought right away. Later when I did get the chance he said, "it was good." Rave review, huh? And he knows better. I'm looking for a criticism, a compliment, a suggestion, a preference, whatever. More than, "it was good." I cornered him and demanded that he elaborate. "It was the best vanilla ice cream I've ever had." Wow. Really. You may notice that there isn't ANY vanilla in the recipe. Geesh.

Maybe my taste-tester is broken. Maybe I've forced one too many lemon, pine nut or brie concoctions down his throat. (He doesn't particularly care for those things.) Are there any applicants for the job? The requirements are simple: Must be at my beck and call to taste whatever I'm making regardless of personal preference. Must not mind being scrutinized and grilled after the tasting. Must have a good vocabulary, specifically a wide range of adjectives. Applicants with food allergies need not apply. (Telling me you don't care for or can't have a certain thing is just like waving a red flag in front of me and I won't be able to help myself. We could be eating nothing but fresh fruit and grilled meats and Jay will come home and announce that he's starting a low-carb diet. Next thing I know we are up to our elbows in pasta and fresh bread. I swear I'm not intentionally sabotaging his diet plans, something evil comes over me and it just happens!!!) Applications may be sent to tuffetblog@gmail.com.


2 comments:

the wicked noodle said...

OH...MY...GOODNESS!!! I've never made custard ice cream before either, but it is getting made just as soon as I can get my hands on a lemon! This looks AMAZING!!

Taylor said...

The last time I made ice cream from eggs it turned out terrible, but I think I will give it a second try with this recipe. Thanks!