Hello, my filthy scuzzies! Such greetings are requisite after a day with Matt Timms and his crew of Takedowners. As all who attended today’s Ice Cream Takedown at The Bell House can attest, it was a hot and heavy day, with a bounty of frozen treats, free pomegranate drinks, and a stellar, though sweaty, crowd.
After three weeks of making ice cream batter, running batch after batch through my ice cream maker, keeping fingers crossed during transportation from my apartment to The Bell House that my ice cream wouldn’t melt into nothingness, and hoping I was handling dry ice properly and not edging towards some serious burns, it all paid off! People of the internets, my lemon meringue pie ice cream got me first place People’s Choice at today’s competition.
When concocting my recipe, I wanted something light and refreshing–it would have to wake people up rather than make them feel more weighted down on a hot summer day. Lemon was a good place to start, as anything citrus can brighten one’s day. The gingersnap was meant to add some spice and cut through the sweetness of the lemon ice cream, as well as be reminiscent of pie crust. And the final touch, the marshmallow fluff, was a stand-in for meringue, and certainly lightened up the texture, which was fairly dense and custard-like. Not to mention, this combination of ice cream and mix-ins meant that I could happily yell, “It’s like a pie in an ice cream!” to all those who sampled my frozen concoction.
Lemon Meringue Pie Ice Cream
Adapted from The Perfect Scoop
Makes 1 1/2 quarts
3/4 cup sugar
zest of 3 large lemons
1 cup whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
generous pinch of salt
5 egg yolks
1/2 cup crushed ginger snaps
1/2 cup marshmallow fluff
Combine the sugar and lemon zest in a food processor and pulse until the zest has become very fine and incorporated in the sugar.
Place the sugar and lemon mixture, milk, and 1/2 cup of the heavy cream in a medium pot. Warm the mixture, stirring occasionally.
Once the mixture has warmed, cover the pot, remove from heat, and let infuse, undisturbed, for 1 hour.
Whisk the egg yolks together in a medium bowl. Once the hour has passed, rewarm the milk and sugar mixture. Pour the mixture slowly into the egg yolks, whisking constantly.
Prepare an ice bath with a large bowl inside it, containing the remainder of the heavy cream. Place a fine sieve over the large bowl.
Pour the egg yolk and milk mixture back into the medium pot, and place over medium heat. Use a rubber spatula to stir constantly, and make sure to scrape along the bottom of the pan. Be careful of over-cooking. The mixture is ready when it has a custard-like consistency and coats the spatula.
Pour the mixture through the sieve and mix with the heavy cream. Discard the lemon zest and any cooked egg particles that are caught in the sieve. Keep mixing until the mixture has cooled. Place in an airtight container in the fridge and thoroughly chill, for at least 24 hours.
Once the mixture has thoroughly chilled, run it through your ice cream maker per the manufacturer’s directions. As you remove the ice cream from the ice cream maker, use a spatula to fold in the marshmallow fluff and ginger snap cookie crumbs. Feel free to adjust the amount of marshmallow fluff and ginger snap cookie crumbs to your liking, but work quickly so the ice cream does not melt! Place in the freezer to solidify for at least 2 hours.
Now enjoy! Hopefully with a crowd of 250 people and 29 fellow amazing ice cream chefs, as I was fortunate enough to. A huge thank you to all who participated, The Bell House, and of course Matt Timms, the leader of this crazy cult of Takedowners. And of course further thanks to all who turned out and voted for their favorite ice creams, particularly Tyra Banks (oh yeah, did I not mention that before?), my friends, and Harry (who doubled as ice-cream scooper extraordinaire)! You guys are da bomb. Democracy and ice cream for all!
The Quarter Life Kitchen 