Blender Lemon Curd Ice Cream

When a friend posted a link to The Kitchn for lemon curd made in a high-speed blender, I immediately put lemons on my shopping list. I like lemon curd, particularly mixed into plain Greek yogurt, but I don't make it very often.

Custards and custard-like foods can be a little finicky. I'm usually successful with them, but sometimes it gets ugly.

And ... summer has struck with a vengeance, and I've been avoiding cooking inside. Okay, I'm enamored with my new grill (but that's another post) but it really is pretty hot here right now.

So, I made the lemon curd from the recipe at The Kitchn, using my trusty Vitamix, and pretty much licked the container clean. Then I had an idea. Why not make a lemony-flavored ice cream? Not pure lemon curd, but curd plus cream. Yeah, that sounded good.

So, I gave it a try, and I'm soooo glad I did. This stuff is pretty awesome. In theory, this should work with traditional lemon cream, but I haven't tried it so I'm not making guarantees.

If you do make the blender lemon curd, keep in mind that you absolutely need a high speed blender. It has to be able to spin so fast that the ingredients heat up. That's what cooks the curd and makes it thick. A standard blender will blend it, but it will never get hot enough to cook.

Blender Lemon Curd Ice Cream

3/4 cup blender lemon curd, cooled
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups (1 pint) heavy cream

Put the curd, sugar, vanilla, and salt in a bowl and whisk to combine.

Add the cream, a little at a time, whisking to incorporate it before adding more. Since lemon is acidic, you want to start the additions slowly so the cream doesn't curdle, but you can add more and more each time. This doesn't have to be a long process - just don't dump it in all at once.

If you have an ice cream maker with a condenser (no freezer bowl) this mixture is cold enough to churn right away. I have a Breville Smart Scoop ice cream maker, so it went right in. If you have an ice cream maker with a freezer bowl, refrigerate the mixture for an hour or two to make sure it's as cold as it can get.

Churn the mixture according to the manufacturer's instructions, then transfer to a storage container and freeze until firm.