Several weeks ago, my son and I went out for a cupcake. Our local cupcakery (is that a word? It should be!) also serves ice cream. I usually peruse the flavors just to see if there’s anything interesting. The flavor that caught my eye was Buttermilk Lemon. I had to have a taste, and WOW! was it delicious! Beautifully light, creamy with a delicate tang of lemon. It was as refreshing as sorbet, but creamy at the same time. Where has this been all my life? Needless to say, there was no cupcake for me that night! And, I don’t think I will ever eat lemon sorbet again, not when there’s Buttermilk Lemon ice cream!
With this recipe, I tried to recreate that unique flavor that is both creamy and refreshing. I was a bit nervous to make ice cream with buttermilk of all things. I love using it in baking because I feel like it keeps a bread or a cake light and moist. But I really don’t enjoy the flavor on its own.
This ice cream would be a fantastic dessert for a spicy or rich meal. It would also be a great topper for a Blueberry pie or crisp. (Ok now my mouth is watering.) Anyway, you need to prepare ahead a little and make the base the day before and churn it several hours before serving. If you enjoy making ice cream, this one is a keeper! Enjoy!
Buttermilk Lemon Ice Cream
Special equipment needed: ice cream churn Note: this recipe requires aging of the custard. Once you make the custard base, you will need to refrigerate overnight before churning it in an ice cream freezer.
- Yield: About 1 1/2 quarts
- Category: Desserts and Sweets, Ice Cream, Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 Lg egg yolks
- 2 c Heavy Cream
- 1 1/4 c Granulated Sugar, divided
- Zest from 2 lemons
- 2 c Buttermilk
- 1/3 c Freshly squeezed lemon juice (2-4 lemons depending upon size)
- 1 tsp. Natural vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp. Salt
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks and 1/4 c sugar. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan (3 qt size), combine heavy cream, the remaining (1 c) sugar and lemon zest. Heat gently until the mixture simmers, or begins to steam. Remove from heat.
- Temper the egg yolks by slowly adding 3-4 Tablespoons of the heated cream mixture, by streaming in a tablespoon at a time, while whisking the yolks. This will prevent the eggs from cooking once you add them to the cream mixture. Now scrape the yolk mixture into the pan with the cream.
- Heat the mixture on low-medium and return to a simmer. Mixture will thicken after about 3 minutes. When it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon (you should be able to draw a line with your finger across the spoon and the line stays), remove from heat. Either cool slightly (5-10 minutes) or set the pan into a bath of ice water for 2 minutes.
- Whisk in the buttermilk, lemon juice, vanilla and salt. Pour into a large bowl, cover, and refrigerate overnight. Custard should thicken a bit more overnight.
- The next day, churn in ice cream freezer according to manufacturer's instructions. Then remove to desired container to finish freezing. Freeze at least 3 hours before serving.
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