No-Churn Lemon Ice Cream
Prep time: if you have an electric juicer, minutes. If squeezing the lemons by hand, 15-20 minutes, plus 4-24 hours freezing time
Yield: 4-6 individual servings, 4-6 ounces/113-116 grams each; easily increased
It is folly to call a recipe one’s own. This recipe would not exist without the following writers.
Nigella Lawson: Her entire oeuvre, but especially Nigella Express and In My Kitchen
Barbara Tropp: Mastering the Art of Chinese Cooking
Bee Wilson: The Secret of Cooking
As always, please read the Notes section, below, for advice, ideas, and variations.
If not using a juicer, you will need a sharp knife, a medium bowl, and a cutting board. You will need a measuring cup to ensure you have the correct amount of lemon juice. If your lemons do not cut neatly, you may want to place a small strainer over the measuring cup. This keeps the juice clear of lemon detritus.
You’ll need measuring cups for the dairy and the sugar. If you don’t have three measuring cups, wash the dairy cup and then add the sugar. This isn’t a delicate recipe.
You will need a large bowl, a whisk or large spoon, a ladle, and 4-6 freezer safe bowls; these bowls should hold 4-6 ounces/120-140 ml. You’ll also need plastic wrap to cover these bowls.
4-6 medium lemons to give=3/4 cup/six ounces/150 ml fresh lemon juice
4 ounces/1/2 cup/120 ml heavy cream (double cream)
8 ounces/1 cup/227 ml half-and-half, rich milk, or light cream
3/4 cup/six ounces/150 grams baker’s sugar/ or confectioner’s sugar (caster sugar)
Begin with the hardest part: juicing the lemons. If you have mechanical assistance, have at it.
For the rest of us:
Wash the lemons. If you have any open cuts on your hands or fingers, you may want to cover them with bandages or wear gloves.
Have either paper towels or clean dishtowels to hand.
I cut my lemons in “wheels,” then squeeze each section over the small bowl. I find it makes less mess, though some mess seems inevitable. Every time I finish a lemon, I tip the bowl over the strainer fitted atop the measuring cup and pour the accumulated juices through. Then I wipe cutting board, cleaning up the bits of lemon chaff and cleaning up spilled lemon juice. I use paper towelling for this. Periodically I wipe the knife, too.
Writing all this out makes it sound much more complicated than it really is.
You’re looking to get 3/4 cup/150ml lemon juice, and it’s fine to take breaks. Lemon juice is not a fragile ingredient.
Pour the cream and the half-and-half into the large bowl. Blend briefly with the whisk. Add the sugar, whisking constantly. The mixture will bubble and thicken slightly.
Now pour in the lemon juice, whisking all the while. The mixture will thicken a little more, showing large bubbles around the edge of the bowl. The color will deepen to ivory.
Taste for sugar, remembering cold dulls flavors. Add more if you think it necessary.
Using a ladle or large spoon, divide the ice cream mixture evenly amongst four to six bowls. Don’t worry if you have a little more or less. Cover bowls with plastic wrap and freeze 4-24 hours.
Serve no-churn lemon ice cream alone or with whipped cream, creme fraiche, butter cookies, limonicello, shortbread, or dessert of your choice.
No-churn lemon ice cream will keep, frozen, up to three weeks.
Notes:
I have a lemon tree in my backyard, which makes recipes like this easy. I know that. But I would recommend buying two or three extra lemons. You can always freeze them if necessary. As noted above, if you abhor the idea of juicing lemons, buy commercial lemon juice. Just know it won’t be as good as fresh.
Baker’s sugar, like brown sugar, is fond of clumping. Don’t be discouraged. Wash your hands, remove any large rings, and go at it with your fingers. Should your manicure be fresh, carefully select a fork or spoon that feels right for the task, wash that, and use it to break up the sugar.
Everyone is encouraged to try this recipe with other citrus fruits like limes, oranges, and grapefruits.
This idea started with a tin of slightly outdated evaporated milk. I encourage readers to try making ice creams with evaporated milk, which is just that–milk cooked down to a thicker state–and condensed milk, which is the same product with added sugar. The internet is full of ice cream recipes calling for these ingredients.
Don’t be shy about adding liqueurs or extracts. Know that alcohol inhibits freezing.
Feel free to add cut-up fruits or whatever else appeals–candied peel, chopped bits of fruit, raisins, ect.
As noted in the post, the ratios of dairy and kinds of dairy are up to you. Just know that if you use lowfat milk products the resulting ice creams will be especially icy–more like granita than ice cream. This is okay. Just don’t be surprised.
No-churn lemon ice cream can become churned lemon ice cream by chilling the custard 4-24 hours, then pouring it into your ice cream maker.