Meyer Lemon Custard Ice Cream

What do you do when you have two big juicy Meyer lemons and a craving for something creamy and sweet? Well, if you are anything like me, you make ice cream! A rich, lemony custard serves as the base for this lovely dessert. Try and use the ripest Meyer lemons that you can find; the juice will be even sweeter. And if you're looking for something to serve the ice cream with, make sure you save your egg whites and try it with my Coconut Financier-Madeleines.

Meyer Lemon Custard Ice Cream
Instead of grating the lemon zest for the infusion, I sliced off large pieces with a potato peeler and left them in. The peel candied in the custard and made for a great little flavor surprise in the finished dessert. They look pretty too!

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup sugar (or Splenda if you're low-carbing it!)
Zest of one whole Meyer lemon, peeled into strips
Pinch of salt
6 large egg yolks
1 cup fresh Meyer lemon juice


1. Combine the cream, lemon peel, salt, and sugar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Bring to just a boil and let simmer for a few minutes to infuse the cream with the scent of the lemon peel.

2. In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks until creamy in color.

3. Temper the eggs by slowly trickling in a portion of the cream mixture, stirring until well blended. This will warm up the eggs slowly so that they don't scramble when you pour into the hot cream. Pour the egg cream mixture back into the saucepan containing the rest of the cream, stirring continuously.

4. Continue to cook over medium heat, stirring until the custard thickens and coats the back of a spoon. (About 7 minutes.)

5. When ready, remove from flame, pour into a clean bowl, and stir in the Meyer lemon juice. Let cool for a few minutes and then place in refrigerator to chill. (Or the freezer, if you're impatient like I am!)

5. Once cool, pour the chilled custard into your ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's instruction.

The ice cream will be thicker than most. It actually is quite perfect straight from the ice cream maker, but can be stored in an air-tight container in the freezer for up to a week. Note that it will likely freeze very hard due to the high fat content of the cream (yum...), so be sure to take it out a couple minutes before serving. This recipe can be easily converted to low-carb with the substitution of Splenda for the sugar.