Lemon Curd Ice Cream

As I was making this ice cream, I kept thinking that homemade ice cream sure is an awful lot of work. As soon as I dipped my finger spoon into the edges of the ice cream as it was freezing, though, I fell in love. I have never tasted ice cream like this in my life ... and I mean that in the best possible way.

This ice cream truly is creamy. The original vanilla recipe I modeled mine after from David Lebowitz suggested adding up to 3 more eggs for a richer ice cream. I have no idea why you would need anything richer or creamier than this.

One of the problems I've encountered with homemade ice cream in the past is that it freezes into a solid brick once I put it into the freezer for storage. It tastes fine, but there's something frustrating about chiseling away your ice cream. This ice cream retains its creaminess while stored in the freezer.

This is delicious on its own, but it's near perfection topped with freshly sliced strawberries. It will be featured in a cupcake in the future.

Lemon Curd Ice Cream
1 cup skim milk
A pinch of salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
2 cups heavy cream
5 large egg yolks
1 tsp. vanilla
1 batch of lemon curd

Heat the milk, salt and sugar in a saucepan until tiny bubbles form along the edges of the pan. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the milk with a paring knife, and then add the bean pod to the milk. Cover, remove from heat and infuse for one hour.

To make the ice cream, set up an ice bath by placing a 2-quart  bowl in a larger bowl partially filled with ice and water. Set a strainer over the top of the smaller bowl, and pour the cream into the bowl.

In a separate bowl, stir together the egg yolks. Rewarm the milk, then gradually pour some of the milk into the yolks, whisking constantly as you pour. Scrape the warmed yolks and milk back into the saucepan.

Cook over low heat, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom with a heat-resistant spatula, until the custard thickens enough to coat the spatula. This should take about 10 to 15 minutes.

Strain the custard into the heavy cream. Stir over the ice until cool, add the vanilla extract, then refrigerate to chill thoroughly. Preferably overnight.

Freeze the custard in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Add the lemon curd during the last 3 to 5 minutes of churning. Makes about 1 quart of heavenly deliciousness.