Lemon tart ice cream

The weather has been crazy here lately – 29ºC (84ºF) days in the middle of winter. I like the cold and the hearty food that comes with it, but have enjoyed the sunny days as well – after all, they are the perfect excuse for making ice cream. :D

I chose this flavor because of my sister’s love for all things lemon – I wonder where she got that from... :D

This is the recipe I used but the idea of adding cookie bits came from my dear friend Luna’s ice cream. :D

Lemon tart ice cream

Lemon curd:
50g unsalted butter, room temperature, chopped
2 eggs, lightly whisked
¼ cup (60ml) fresh lemon juice
Finely grated zest of 2 lemons
1 cup + ½ tablespoon (106g) caster sugar

Custard:
1 cup + ½ tablespoon (106g) caster sugar
1 ¼ cups (300ml) heavy cream
1 cup (240ml) whole milk
4 egg yolks
100g digestive cookies, broken into pieces

Start by making the curd: combine the butter, eggs, lemon juice, zest and sugar in a medium saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, over low heat for 5 minutes or until mixture thickens slightly. Remove from heat. Strain lemon curd through a fine sieve into a medium heatproof bowl*. Cover with plastic wrap touching the surface of the curd to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until cool.

Combine cream and milk in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.
Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together in a medium heatproof bowl until thick and pale. Gradually stir the warm cream mixture into the egg mixture. Return to saucepan and place over low heat. Cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, for 10 minutes or until the custard coats the back of the spoon. Transfer to a medium heatproof bowl. Set aside for 10 minutes to cool.
Gradually stir the custard into the lemon curd and stir to combine. Refrigerate, covered, for 2-3 hours, then pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Scoop the ice cream into a container and stir in the cookie pieces. Put in freezer until firm, at least 4 hours.

* next time I make this ice cream, I’ll be adding the zest after straining the curd, so it won’t get stuck inside the sieve

Serves 6-8