Lemon Ginger Ice Cream
Makes: About 1 quart/1 liter
I love, love, love this refreshingly flavorful ice cream. It was inspired by a talented colleague from New Zealand, Annabel Langbein, and adapted from her book The Free Range Cook: Simple Pleasures. Not only is it the easiest ice cream to make, it doesn’t even use an ice cream machine (no churning necessary). It is billowy and creamy and never icy, even after 3 to 4 weeks in the freezer. A silky Italian meringue made with sugar syrup is the miracle ingredient!
Ice Cream Base
| 2 large egg whites | 60 grams | ¼ cup (59 ml) |
| cream of tartar | . | ¼ teaspoon |
| crystallized ginger | 54 grams | ¼ cup |
| superfine sugar (see Scoops) | 150 grams | ¾ cup |
| lemon zest, finely chopped (see Scoops) | . | ¾ teaspoon |
| lemon juice, freshly squeezed and strained (2 lemons) | 95 grams | 6 tablespoons (89 ml) |
| heavy cream | 116 grams | ½ cup (118 ml) |
| plain Greek yogurt, full fat | 54 grams | ¼ cup (59 ml) |
* Thirty minutes to 1 hour ahead, weigh or measure the egg whites and cream of tartar into a stand mixer bowl. Cover the bowl.
1) In a food processor, process the ginger with the sugar until the ginger is in very small pieces. Alternatively, chop it with a knife and mix it with the sugar.
2) In a medium saucepan (preferably with a spout), with a silicone spatula, stir together the ginger sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Continue stirring, on medium heat, until it comes to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. An instant-read thermometer should read 228°F/109°C.
3) While the syrup is simmering, attach the whisk beater to the stand mixer. Beat the egg whites and cream of tartar until stiff peaks form when the beater is raised.
4) On low speed, add the hot syrup to the egg whites, avoiding the whisk. Turn the mixer to high and beat until very thick, 7 to 10 minutes. At first it will be very soupy; it will take several minutes before it begins to thicken. Scrape the meringue into a large bowl. Without rinsing the stand mixer bowl, add the cream and whip it to soft peaks. (Alternatively, whip the cream in a small bowl with a handheld mixer; see Scoops.)
5) Detach the whisk beater and use it to fold the yogurt into the whipped cream. Scrape this mixture into the meringue and continue folding with the whisk until evenly incorporated, then use a large silicone spatula to reach to the bottom of the bowl.
6) Transfer the mixture to a covered storage container. Press a piece of plastic wrap on the surface of the ice cream, cover the container, and allow the ice cream to firm in the freezer for at least 6 hours before serving (or 3 hours if you like it semifreddo, or the consistency of soft serve).
Store
Covered storage container: frozen, 1 week
Scoops
* If processing the sugar with the crystallized ginger, you can use fine granulated sugar.
* Be sure to scrub the lemon with a little liquid dishwashing detergent, rinse well, and dry before zesting. If desired, a little extra lemon zest can be grated directly onto the ice cream shortly before serving.
* If whipping the cream with a handheld mixer, pour the cream into a chilled metal bowl and refrigerate it, covered, for at least 15 minutes. Chill the handheld mixer’s beaters alongside the bowl.