White Chocolate-Lemon Ice Cream
Tips:
This is smooth and very rich, with a definite lemon aftertaste.
You can omit the lemon rind if you wish. Please use top-quality
white chocolate for this. My favorite way to serve this is with
fresh fruit on top or on the side (try blueberries, raspberries,
sliced peaches, or diced mango). You'll need an ice cream maker
and a candy thermometer to make this, and it's best eaten within
three days of churning. I could eat this daily and never tire
of it!
Yield: Generous
1 quart
- 2
cups heavy cream, divided
- 3/4
cup whole milk
- Grated
zest 1-2 medium lemons
- 9
ounces best-quality white chocolate, finely chopped
- 6
egg yolks, from eggs graded "large"
- 1/3
cup sugar
- 2
teaspoons vanilla
- 2
Tablespoons orange liqueur
- Few
grains salt
In
heavy-bottomed,
nonreactive 1 1/2- to 2-quart pot, combine 1 cup cream (reserve
remainder), whole milk, and lemon zest. Stir over medium heat
just until mixture simmers. Remove from heat, cover tightly,
and allow to stand 20 minutes.
Meanwhile,
in medium heatproof bowl, place chopped chocolate. In small
saucepan over low heat, heat 2/3 cup of reserved cream (reserve
remaining 1/3 cup) over low heat, stirring often, until very
hot. Pour over chocolate. Let stand about 2 minutes, then stir
or whisk until smooth. If necessary, place bowl over warm water
on low heat (water should not touch bottom of bowl), and stir
often until melted. (White chocolate is often stubborn about
melting completely.
If you cannot get this mixture smooth, transfer to a
food processor fitted with a steel blade; process briefly, just
until no lumps of chocolate are left.)
In
a separate medium heatproof bowl, combine egg yolks, sugar,
salt, and remaining 1/3 cup cream. By hand, beat until well-mixed.
Set aside near stove.
After
20 minutes, reheat lemon zest liquid over medium heat, stirring
often, just to a simmer.
Remove from heat. Very gradually add to yolk mixture,
beating constantly. Return this custard to the pot. Cook and
stir over medium heat to 174 degrees F on a candy thermometer
(this custard thickens substantially toward end of cooking time).
Remove from heat immediately.
Gradually
stir or whisk about half the custard into the white chocolate
mixture, then turn this blend back into the pot and stir to
blend well. Stir in vanilla. Strain through a fine strainer
into a pitcher or liquid measuring cup of at least 5 cup capacity,
pressing on lemon zest left in strainer to extract all liquid
from it. Cool briefly, then chill at least 6 hours, covering
when cold (cover with a piece of paper towelling, then with
plastic wrap; this prevents any condensation that forms from
dripping into the custard).
Stir
cold custard before using. Freeze in an ice cream freezer according
to manufacturer's directions. When about 3/4 frozen, add the
liqueur, one tablespoon at a time. Store in freezer; eat within
three days of churning.
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