Lemon-Thyme Buttermilk Ice Cream
Monday, May 10, 2010 at 08:50PM There's something about lemons that I love in the spring. They have a way of waking up flavours like nothing else.
A couple of years ago for Mother's Day, I tried my hand at fresh thyme and lemon scones, (which incidentally also had buttermilk in them) and they were fabulous.
This Mother's Day, I scaled things back a bit, making only 6 dishes instead of my usual 8 to 10, after all, I am eight months pregnant, and the energy required to grow another human being inside of you is quite high. Needless to say, I'm feeling drained.
So with Mom and Mom-in-law here, we celebrated over a tarragon scented crab and asiago strata, some homemade granola, fruit salad, a tossed green salad and a ricotta and rhubarb tart.
What's that you say? That's only five dishes! Yes, I was forgetful, and left my big experiment, the lemon-thyme buttermilk ice cream in the freezer. Lack of sleep apparently impairs brain function too.
So, instead of serving up the ice cream with the tart as intended, everyone got a little after the meal, and it was a surprisingly light and refreshing palate cleanser.
I can't take complete credit for this recipe. After reading another blog about buttermilk lemonade, an interesting cocktail that I'm not sure I could sell to my mom, I decided it was time to resurrect the lemon-thyme flavour profile with ice cream. Buttermilk has a nice tang that complemented the lemon well, and the thyme is subtle hint in the background.
This is a fabulous pairing with fresh strawberries, which are just about in season here in Toronto. I think I'll be making this again before spring is up!
Lemon-Thyme Buttermilk Ice Cream
6 egg yolks
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/3 cup lemon juice
zest of one lemon
1/2 cup light cream
1 tbsp chopped thyme
First start off making a lemon curd-like mixture.
Mix together the egg yolks, light cream, lemon juice, zest and half of the sugar. Stir over a double boiler until mixture thickens slightly. You should be able to draw a line through the back of a wooden spoon coated with the mixture. Add in thyme, and let mixture cool at room temperature for half an hour before refrigerating overnight.
Add buttermilk and remaining sugar to a pot and heat gently just enough to dissolve the sugar. Mixture does not have to be hot, but just coming up to room temperature. Whisk into lemon curd, slowly.
Strain entire mixture through a fine mesh sieve. Put through ice cream maker and process according to manufacturer's instructions.
Refrigerate for several hours before serving. This is more like an ice milk and is very scoopable right out of the freezer!
Reader Comments (2)
Nicely done! This feels almost Victorian to me, so lovely. I have never used buttermilk in my ice cream before, fascinating! I saw someone on TFN once use mascarpone cheese, can you believe it? They avoided using an ice cream maker altogether by doing that!
Hello Ms. Vixen! I was lucky enough to receive the Sunshine Award for my blog a while ago, and I have passed it along to you now in my post today! :-)