I’m about 3 weeks late to the party, but if you haven’t heard, July is National Ice Cream Month! It’s been a sweltering July and we’ve eaten more than our fair share of ice cream here, but surprisingly little of it has been homemade. In fact, I think this lemon ice cream might be the first recipe I’ve made this month. It’s a really, really good one though – probably in my top 3 homemade flavors of all time!
I have been obsessed with all things citrus, but especially lemon, for some time now; I find it impossible to walk through the produce section at my grocery store without grabbing at least a few lemons and limes. Just in case 🙂 This isn’t the first lemony ice cream I’ve posted – a few years ago this lemon curd ice cream stole my heart, and I’ve made it countless times since. The only downside to that recipe is that it calls for lemon curd, so unless you happen to have some on hand, there’s some extra work involved. With this lemon ice cream, you simply use the zest and juice of the lemon so it definitely comes together more quickly. And it is seriously amazing – so creamy and refreshing! You definitely need to be a lemon fan to enjoy this one, it’s packed with lemon flavor and just the right blend of sweet and tart. Shane wouldn’t dream of eating lemon ice cream, and that’s just fine with me – I’m glad to have this one all to myself 🙂
Lemon Ice Cream
adapted from Gourmet, June 1993 (originally seen on Lulu the Baker)
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup sugar
3 large egg yolks
pinch salt
2 cups half-and-half, divided
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar, egg yolks, salt and 1 cup of the half-and-half to a medium saucepan. Whisk to combine. Set the pan over medium heat, and whisking constantly, cook until the mixture registers 170-175 F on an instant read thermometer. Remove from the heat and strain the custard through a fine mesh sieve into a heatproof bowl. Allow to cool briefly, then whisk in the remaining 1 cup of half-and-half and the vanilla. Press a piece of plastic against the surface of the custard and refrigerate until very cold – overnight is best but at least 6 hours.
Freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer to airtight container and freeze until firm, at least a few hours.
Lemon Bars
Glazed Grapefruit Cake
Orange Sherbet
Meyer Lemon Pound Cake
Absolutely nothing wrong with a citrus obsession. Especially if it results in this ice cream. B would love this!!
I would like to recommend to you the book Frozen Desserts by Francisco Migoya, the former pastry chef of the French Laundry. His recipes are more precise and given in weight percentages rather than volume.
Ooh, I don’t know if I’ve ever had lemon ice cream but now I won’t be able to stop thinking about it! And I love an ice cream that doesn’t call for heavy cream.
Tracey, this looks amazing! Lemon ice cream is one of my favourite flavours and I’d love to try out this recipe. Thanks!
Looks fabulous, Tracey! I can’t go to the grocery without picking up lemons, limes, and oranges. Just in case…
Lemon ice cream is so refreshing! This sounds wonderful!
yes I am all over july being ice cream month – this lemon ice cream must be so refreshing!
ooooo this looks so yummy. totally going to try it!!
I’ve been making what I would call ice milk lately, but this is a flavor and method I must give a try. Got you bookmarked until tomorrow or Thursday.
What a refreshing treat, I love lemon desserts! Can’t wait to have some lemon ice cream!
Ooooh, this looks so fresh and delicious for summer!! 🙂
Looks heavenly on such a hot and humid day.
love lemon desserts! they’re so refreshing and like a palate cleanser. this reminds me of gelato for some reason!
I always pick up a couple of lemons and limes at the store, “just in case”. You never know when you need a little citrus. 😉 I was just telling Hubby tonight I could go for some ice cream. I would totally help you eat this…if you would share that is. 😉
This looks delicious! I don’t know how you make your ice cream scoops so perfect. My ice cream ust gets pulled out in chunks, ha! 😛
Has anyone tried replacing the half & half for fat free half and half??
I never used to like lemon but lately it has grown on me. I will have to try this!
@Jacki – I haven’t tried it, and while I think it would work, you’re probably not going to get the best consistency. With the lower fat content, it may be grainy and/or icy. Let us know if you try!
I am obsessed with citrus this summer, this sounds refreshing and perfect for summer!
Haven’t made this recipe but curious if it comes out icy at all? The amount of cream and eggs seems low considering the amount of potential ice forming juice being added. What are your thoughts on the texture? Would you change anything? Did it freeze super hard after a few hours in the freezer?
This sounds so refreshing!
If I did happen to have some lemon curd… how much would I need approximately?
@Kristy K – sorry it’s taken me so long to get back to you! If you have lemon curd on hand, I’d recommend trying this recipe: http://traceysculinaryadventures.blogspot.com/2009/09/lemon-curd-ice-cream.html
I haven’t tried the recipe in this post with lemon curd so can’t say for sure how it would turn out.
Hi,
could you tell me what is half and half???
@Anonymous: Sure, it’s a product that’s made from half whole milk and half heavy cream. If you can’t find it where you are, just sub 1 cup of whole milk and 1 cup of heavy cream.