Lemon Curd Custard Ice Cream for Suzy's Ice Cream Social

I have wonderful memories of hot summers and homemade ice cream that go back to my childhood. In my mind I can clearly see our old hand crank ice cream freezer that we had to fill with rock salt and ice and work on in teams - one person to sit on the freezer and the other to crank until exhaustion set in.  There was one hard and fast rule to all this - no cranking, no ice cream - so everybody pitched in and shared the work.

Life is easy now and all that's necessary to make luscious ice creams and sorbets is good ingredients and a little patience, along with a nifty new freezer that does the churning on its own. I prefer a cooked custard ice cream base because eggs add a rich, creamy  texture and mouth feel to the finished product.  I found this recipe for Lemon Curd Custard ice cream at A Feast for the Eyes and its now one of my favorites.  Debby's lemon curd is a breeze to make and is just the right balance of sweet and sour in this luscious dessert.  This recipe reminds me of the the wonderful pudding that my mother used to make where the cake rises to the top of the dish and lemon pudding settles to the bottom.  Is this one of your favorites too?  If it is you will love this ice cream.

Lemon Curd Custard Ice Cream...from A Feast For the Eyes

3 large eggs yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch Salt
1 cup half and half (I used whole milk)
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup lemon curd (store bought or homemade, see below)

In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, vanilla, and salt.

Pour the half-and-half and cream into the top of a double boiler and heat over barely simmering water until hot, but not boiling.  Stir with a wooden spoon, scraping the bottom of the pan to prevent sticking.

Note:  I carefully heated the milk and cream in my microwave, being careful not to let it boil.  Slowly pour some of the hot cream into the eggs to temper them.  Slowly add the rest of the hot cream, whisking constantly till smooth. Return to the double boiler and cook over medium-low heat until thick and bubbling around the edges.  I used direct heat, and was very careful to stir constantly and to keep the temperature to medium-low.  It took about 15 minutes for the custard to thicken, so be patient.

The custard will coat a wooden spoon.    Run your finger through the custard on the spoon.  If the line remains separate, it's ready!  Strain the custard through a fine mesh sieve into a metal bowl (don't skip this step).  Cover and chill for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Whisk 1 cup of lemon curd into the chilled custard.  Turn on the machine, and pour the cream mixture into the canister of your ice cream freezer.  Freeze according to manufacturer's directions.

Transfer ice cream to a shallow container, cover with plastic wrap and a tight fitting lid and freeze for at least 4 hours before serving.

Debby's Perfect Lemon Curd

3/4 cup lemon juice

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

3/4 cup sugar

3 eggs

1/2 cup unsalted butter, cubed

In a 2 quart saucepan, combine lemon juice, sugar, eggs, and butter.  Cook over medium-low heat until thick enough to hold marks from the whisk and first bubble appears on the surface, about 6 minutes.  Remove from heat and chill.

The curd can be stored in the refrigerator, in a jar with a tight-fitting lid, for up to one week.  I had enough curd left over to serve with warm biscuits on Sunday morning.  I also filled tiny tart shells with a spoonful of lemon curd and topped them with a raspberry.  They were so pretty on the plate (and so easy to put together too).

Come along with me to visit Suzy at Kitchen Bouquet

and take part in the delicious round up of all things ice cream at her

  Ice Cream Social.

It's time for our visit with Michael at Designs by Gollum

for the always fabulous

Foodie Friday