Of Best Laid Plans

Homemade Lemon Curd

Silky lemon curd ice cream, sandwiched between rich chocolate cookies! Oh, how I wanted this dessert to turn out well.

Unfortunately, in my arrogance and over-confidence, I decided that I didn’t need to follow a recipe. After all, I could make cookies and lemon curd, and though I had never made ice cream, I felt that I understood the basic principles involved.



As it happens, there is more to this frosty confection than just ice and cream and it seems that simply combining heavy cream, half and half, lemon curd and cold does not a tasty ice cream make.

Although the sandwiches received a fairly positive reaction from my taste testers, I found them to be gritty and icy, so I won’t be sharing the recipe at this time. However, the lemon curd recipe I used is delicious, has never failed me and I feel secure passing it on as a winner.

Lemon Curd Recipe
Adapted from Lemon Curd by Stephanie Jaworski

3 eggs
The juice from 3 lemons
¼ cup granulated sugar
4 tablespoons of butter (cut into small pieces)
1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest

Method
Whisk together eggs, sugar and lemon juice in a stainless steel bowl until blended.

Place the bowl over a pot of boiling water, cooking the mixture while stirring constantly for about 8-10 minutes.

After about 6 minutes, the mixture should start to take on a white creamy appearance and will begin to thicken. Somewhere between 8 and 10 minutes, the mixture should look like lemon pudding and be noticeably thicker. Remove from heat and strain through a fine-mesh strainer into another bowl (or a Kitchenaid mixer with whisk attachment).



Add the butter and lemon zest to the mixture and whisk until the butter has melted and the zest is evenly distributed. Allow to cool and enjoy!



Fresh lemon curd makes a delicious spread for toast, pancakes, or scones. One day, it will also make delicious ice cream sandwiches as well. This, I promise!