Lemon Meringue Ice Cream

Lemon Meringue Ice Cream

From The Gourmet Cookbook

Makes 1 ½ quarts
Active Time: 40 minutes
Start to Finish: 8 hours

For Meringue:
2 large egg whites
1/8 tsp salt
1/3 cup sugar

For Ice Cream:
1 ½ cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
¾ cup sugar
4 tsp finely grated lemon zest
1/8 tsp salt
6 large egg yolks
2/3 cup fresh lemon juice

Special equipment: parchment paper; an instant read thermometer; an ice cream maker

Make the Meringue: Put a rack in middle of oven and preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Beat whites and salt in a medium bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until whites hold soft peaks. Add sugar 1 TBLS at a time, beating at medium speed, then beat at high speed until meringue holds stiff, glossy peaks, about 1 minute. Spread meringue into a 9-inch round on parchment-lined baking sheet.

Bake until firm to the touch, about 1 hour. Turn off oven and let meringue stand in over for 1 hour. Transfer meringue, on parchment, to a rack to cool completely.

Peel off parchment and, working over a bowl, break meringue into ½- to 1-inch pieces.

Make the Ice Cream: Combine cream, milk, sugar, zest, and salt in a 2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan and bring just to a boil, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, whisk yolks in a medium metal bowl until smooth. Add hot cream mixture to yolks in a slow stream, whisking constantly, then pour back into the pan. Cook custard over moderately low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until custard is thick enough to coat back of spoon and registers 170 degrees on thermometer; do not let boil.

Pour custard through a fine-mesh sieve into cleaned metal bowl and stir in lemon juice. Cool custard to room temperature, then refrigerate, covered, until cold, at least 3 hours.

Freeze custard in ice cream maker. Transfer ice cream to a bowl and fold in meringue, then transfer to an airtight container and put in freezer to harden, at least 4 hours.

Cook’s Notes:
The meringue can be made up to three days ahead and kept in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.
The custard can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours.
The ice cream can be made up to 1 week ahead.
Double the recipe – that’s my suggestion!
And don’t bother putting it into the freezer when it comes out of the ice cream maker – who can wait that long and besides, the soft serve consistency is SO GOOD!