As a graduate of The Ohio State University, I spent four of the best years of my life exploring the lovely Midwestern city of Columbus, OH. I have always been a foodie, so imagine my excitement when during one of my mom's trips to visit me she took me to a new ice cream stand in our
local market. What we found was
Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams, an artisan ice cream shop with flavors such as Queen City Cayenne {milk chocolate with cayenne pepper}, Wild Berry Lavender, Goat Cheese with Roasted Red Cherries, and Olive Oil + Saffron + Orange + Caramel. Since then her business has blossomed including being sold nationwide at Whole Foods and Fresh Market, ten brick and mortar stores, and a best-selling
cookbook. I picked up this cookbook for my mom a few years ago and I have to say,
if you love ice cream and have any sort of desire to make it at home you MUST buy this!
My mom has cooked her way through this cookbook in which Jeni literally breaks down each of her flavors to an exact science {you will learn more about ice cream than you ever knew was possible}. I was almost nervous to try to make one of her flavors, worried that there was no way the ice cream could turn out as delicious as the real thing made by Jeni herself. Was I ever wrong! It is literally the creamiest, most indulgent, creative ice cream I have ever eaten. And seriously, your friends will be so impressed when you bring out a dish of homemade artisan ice cream topped with fresh berries or a dab of homemade whipped cream. Trust me, you won't regret buying this cookbook :)
Last time I was at home my mom and I decided to try the Lemon Cream Ice Cream, and as expected it was absolutely fabulous. The perfect combination of sweet and tart, it was a refreshing spring treat served with homemade shortcake and fresh strawberries. Next time I might try infusing it with fresh lavender for a little twist :)
Preparation
Prep for the lemon syrup: Using a vegetable peeler, remove the zest from 2 of the lemons in large strips; reserve. Halve the lemons and squeeze enough juice to make 1/2 cup. Combine the lemon juice and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and refrigerate until chilled. This won't be a very thick syrup.
Prep for the ice cream base: Mix about 2 tablespoons of the milk with the cornstarch in a small bowl to make a smooth slurry. Whisk the cream cheese and salt in a medium bowl until smooth. Fill a large bowl with ice and water.
Cook: Combine the remaining milk, the cream, sugar, corn syrup, and lemon zest in a 4-quart saucepan, bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat, and boil for 4 minutes -- watch it closely and stir occasionally to make sure it doesn't boil over. Remove from the heat and gradually whisk in the cornstarch slurry. Bring the mixture back to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, stirring with a heatproof spatula, until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat.
Chill: Gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the cream cheese until smooth. Pour the mixture into a 1-gallon Ziploc freezer bag and submerge the sealed bag in the ice bath. Let stand, adding more ice as necessary, until cold, about 30 minutes.
Freeze: Remove the lemon zest. Pour the ice cream base into the frozen canister and turn on the machine. Pour the lemon syrup through the opening in the top of the machine, and continue to spin the ice cream until thick and creamy.
Pack the ice cream into a storage container, press a sheet of parchment directly against the surface, and seal with an airtight lid. Freeze in the coldest part of your freezer until firm, about 4 hours. Enjoy!
