Photo by William Brinson
Genius Recipes's Notes:
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2 to 3
lemons
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2 tablespoons
sugar
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2 cups
whole milk
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1 tablespoon
plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
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1 1/2 ounce
(3 tablespoons) cream cheese, softened to room temperature
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1/8 teaspoon
fine sea salt
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1 1/4 cup
heavy cream
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2/3 cups
sugar
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2 tablespoons
light corn syrup
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Zest of 2 lemons (reserved from above)
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Prep for the lemon syrup: Using a vegetable peeler, remove the zest from 2 of the lemons in large strips; reserve. Halve the lemons and squeeze enough juice to make 1/2 cup. Combine the lemon juice and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and refrigerate until chilled. This won't be a very thick syrup.
Ask the hotline about this step!Prep for the ice cream base: Mix about 2 tablespoons of the milk with the cornstarch in a small bowl to make a smooth slurry. Whisk the cream cheese and salt in a medium bowl until smooth. Fill a large bowl with ice and water.
Ask the hotline about this step!Cook: Combine the remaining milk, the cream, sugar, corn syrup, and lemon zest in a 4-quart saucepan, bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat, and boil for 4 minutes -- watch it closely and stir occasionally to make sure it doesn't boil over. Remove from the heat and gradually whisk in the cornstarch slurry. Bring the mixture back to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, stirring with a heatproof spatula, until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat.
Ask the hotline about this step!Chill: Gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the cream cheese until smooth. Pour the mixture into a 1-gallon Ziploc freezer bag and submerge the sealed bag in the ice bath. Let stand, adding more ice as necessary, until cold, about 30 minutes.
Ask the hotline about this step!Freeze: Remove the lemon zest. Pour the ice cream base into the frozen canister and turn on the machine. Pour the lemon syrup through the opening in the top of the machine, and continue to spin the ice cream until thick and creamy.
Ask the hotline about this step!Pack the ice cream into a storage container, press a sheet of parchment directly against the surface, and seal with an airtight lid. Freeze in the coldest part of your freezer until firm, about 4 hours.
Ask the hotline about this step!I made this recently and loved it, loved it. Smooth and creamy, just the right bit of citrusy tang. Splendid indeed.
Everything in Jeni's book is amazing. I just made five flavors of ice cream for her macaroon ice cream sandwiches for a large group (yeah, it took all weekend -- crazy) and couldn't believe the response. It was as if nobody had ever eaten ice cream before. Truly incredible ice cream. Not exactly a snap, but well worth the effort.
I haven't made the lemon ice cream but have made the lemon frozen yogurt -- I used Meyer lemons and added a touch of yuzu juice. Heaven.
I just put the results of this recipe into the freezer for its final freeze (step 6). I made it for tomorrows gathering of the San Ignacio Art League at my sister's place. I think all four of the members will be there. It was really, really difficult....to put it into the freezer. I wanted to eat the whole dang batch! One hint for those thinking about making this: Don't do it unless you make enough to have a good-sized helping yourself!
The ice cream is great, and the texture is wonderful. It's very similar to Haagen Dazs's Five Lemon ice cream. A small complaint about the flavor: I found the peel imparted a slight bitterness, which could be because using a vegetable peeler takes off more of the pith than the Microplane does.
This is an excellent ice cream recipe. I made it with Meyer lemons as they had just come into the market and looked fantastic. So I reduced the sugar as Meyer lemons are much less acidic. The process was a bit more detailed than many ice cream recipes but it was so worth it. It is smooth, creamy, great texture and wonderful taste. i will definitely be making it again.
This was AMAZING. I've made so many different ice creams and this one was most definitely the best. I am going out to get this girl's cookbook asap. :>
Cornstarch and corn syrup? Doesn't sound so splendid to me! But the cream cheese is a nice touch.
The corn syrup doesn't bother me (anti-crystallization, I'm guessing), but I'm not so sure about the cornstarch. I'm kind of drawn to the cream cheese idea. I'm willing to give it a try.
In The Perfect Scoop, David Lebovitz has an ice cream called Fleur de Lait that uses 3 tablespoons of cornstarch instead of eggs in the base. I've used that formula a lot in home-made ice cream. It really does allow the other flavors to shine through. I guess this is why this is a genius recipe. The genius of Jeni is that she used common ingredients to enable a home cook to create delicious flavorful ice creams that are smooth and scoopable like commercial ice cream, but without a commercial ice cream maker, and this is the formula that works.
I just made this today. Jeni's recipes are sheer ice cream brilliance. Never has "lemony" been so "creamy."
I made this as my first attempt at home made ice cream. YUM!!! Now, I'll have to order her book. Tart frozen yogurt is my favorite and this really hits the spot.
You are lucky to have tried a Jeni recipe as your first one! Most in traditional cookbooks include eggs. The cream cheese is a stroke of genius.
Dan is the founder of Kitchen Options
I love anything Jeni's, but the lemon is one of my favorites... I'm lucky enough to have relatives in Columbus and Nashville! Thank you for posting....