Lemon Curd Custard Ice Cream - A childhood favorite success story

When I was in Middle School (long, long ago...) my mother owned a German Delicatessen. She leased her storefront space from a sweet Italian man who decided to close his ice cream shop.  He kept the back part of the rental space, where he continued to make ice cream which he would wholesale.  Once in a while, Cecil would let me have a taste of his freshly made ice cream.  I can remember the first time I tasted his Lemon Custard Ice Cream.  I loved that flavor above all else. One day, Cecil retired his ice cream making business and I could never find that flavor again. Until today, that is.  Last summer, I developed my own version of an Ice Cream Custard.  I've made ice cream before, but I had never made the effort to cook eggs, milk, cream and sugar to make the base for ice cream.  I loved the creamy texture of  Strawberry Custard Ice Cream  that I made.  If you've never made ice cream-- or if you have made ice cream without eggs in it-- strap yourself in. I'm taking you for a ride that I hope you will enjoy.  I'm going to show you my unorthodox way that I make egg custard. I take a few shortcuts and I've never had a problem.  Ready?

 To make the egg custard, you simply whisk 4 egg yolks, sugar and vanilla until the sugar is dissolved.  Most recipes say to use a double-boiled to heat a combination of whole milk (or half and half) and heavy cream. Me? I microwave it for about 2 minutes.  You just don't want the milk/cream to boil.  Sloooooooooooowly add a little hot cream into the egg mixture, to temper it.  Whisking constantly, add the rest of the hot cream.
Once again, the recipes say to pour the egg and cream mixture into a double boiler and to cook until thick.  I don't.  I pour mine into a sauce pan and cook it on direct heat.  The key is to stick nearby, to keep stirring the mixture on medium-low heat until the mixture thickens.  It takes between 12-15 minutes; the mixture should coat the back of a spoon.  I pour the mixture into a metal bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and let it chill overnight.   This morning, I pondered on how I could achieve a clean but very present lemon flavor. Fresh lemon juice? How much?  Lemon zest? Lemon vodka?  Then, it hit me!

For Christmas, I had been given a jar of homemade lemon curd.  It had been water-canned, but I still kept it in my fridge.  It was delicious (thanks, Stef) with just the right balance of lemon-- a little tart, a little sweet.  I added the jar (8 oz) and whisked it into the chilled custard.  I took a taste, and that was it!
NOTE: If you live near a Trader Joe's, they sell a tasty lemon curd for a few bucks. Or, you can see how I make my own lemon curd-- which is very easy to do, by clicking here. Please tell you that you own an ice cream maker!  I bought a very inexpensive Hamilton Beach Ice Cream Maker for about $15.00.  It does a great job, and I always keep it in my freezer. All you need to do is turn on the machine, pour the mixture in and sit back for 15-20 minutes. You can hear the churning slow down, and the ice cream is ready!

After pouring the ice cream into a container, this went into the freezer for a few hours. I enjoyed what was left on the spatula...

Oh my... this is good! The lemon flavor reminds of Cecil Bindel's ice cream, back in the day.

VERDICT: I'm telling you the truth... I scooped the frozen ice cream just to photograph it (before the sun went down).  This freezes solid, but not rock solid. I tasted one spoonful, only.   Wow, it's so creamy, and the lemon flavor is spot on. In fact, I am practicing restraint by not touching this ice cream until tomorrow, so I returned all of the ice cream (even what you see in the photo), back to the freezer. I've invited my family over for a BBQ and I'm making a special dessert that will showcase this ice cream. Just sayin'... Ice Cream Custard is the way to go.  If you love lemon, this recipe is a winner.  Humbly said, this is my own recipe and it hasn't failed me yet. 

Now then...I know that I've been on a pie-making roll, and now it looks like I'm on an ice cream making roll (what else goes best with pie?). I just love how easy this ice cream egg custard is to make, and that you can easily adapt any kind of flavor or nummies you want to toss in.   I've made two more flavors of ice cream-- and they've all been terrific; I'll be posting those very soon. Did you know that  National Ice Cream Day is July 18th? I'm getting an early start!


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