Do you ever have those days where you just want to take one day to go back in time and be a kid again? Where your only care is playing, riding bicycles, doing hopscotch in the driveway, avoiding cleaning your room, and if you're really lucky- going to the ice cream shop? I’ve had a few of those days lately. My younger brother has been living out of the country for the better part of the past year, and I’m missing him. When we were little and would go to the local ice cream shop by our house, he always ordered their specialty, lemon soft serve. Lemon has never been my favorite, to say the least, but I figured I ought to give it another try and see if I could come up with anything that I could enjoy in honor of him while he is away. I’m happy to report that the trick is to use Meyer lemons. They’re a bit more sweet than regular lemons, so the resulting ice cream is ultra creamy, with a nagging reminder of Flintstone’s Push-Ups from my childhood. For me, this Meyer Lemon Ice Cream is nostalgic as much as it is delicious and refreshing. Now if only my brother were here to try it and give his seal of approval.

Making Meyer Lemon Ice Cream starts out by making lemon curd. You could absolutely stop after making the curd and just use it as is (Skip the steps involving the cream and milk). Spreading it on biscuits, adding a dollop to some Greek yogurt, using it as a filling for a tart, you name it. If you’re a lemon lover, I would encourage you to try it. For me, I love to continue on and use the lemon curd as a base for this homemade ice cream, especially while Meyer lemons are available.

(Scroll down page for printable version of this recipe.)

Meyer Lemon Ice Cream

By Kitchen Joy®

Makes about 1 ½ quarts (6 cups)

Ingredients

⅔ cup freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice

1 ¼ cups granulated sugar

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into several pieces

3 tablespoons grated Meyer lemon peel

3 large eggs

2 cups heavy whipping cream

1 cup whole milk

Directions

In a large saucepan set over medium heat, bring the lemon juice, sugar, butter, and lemon peel just to a boil, stirring frequently until sugar is dissolved. Turn off heat.

In a large bowl, whisk eggs until lightly beaten. Very gradually, whisk the warm lemon juice mixture into the eggs. Do not add the warm mixture to the eggs all at once or the eggs could cook.

Return mixture to the saucepan and set over low heat, stirring constantly until the lemon curd has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. Do not boil. (You should be able to draw a line on the back of the spoon with your finger without the line disappearing.)

Transfer lemon curd to a large bowl and whisk in the cream and milk until smooth. Cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

Pour the chilled lemon cream mixture into an ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer prepared ice cream to a container, cover, and freeze several hours until completely frozen.

Serve with additional lemon zest, if desired. (Or my personal favorite, blueberry sauce!)