Happy Father’s Day: Now Eat Ice Cream

When I was little, we lived on 60 acres of land. Our little brown house with a huge deck was closed off from the world by huge leafy tress. We would have family over, grill out on the deck, and at the end of the meal, we would make ice cream.

My dad would take the crank ice cream machine (my grandma had a hand crank, we had a motorized version) out on to the driveway. He manned the machine, and as it churned away, he tossed in ice and salt. When it finished, he’d pull out the white paddle, coated with fresh ice cream and let me lick it. This rocked my little 3 year old world.

25 years later, I’m a pastry chef. It seemed only fitting that for Father’s Day this year, I should make him some ice cream. Lemon ice cream with raspberry-thyme swirl. Now, though, I give my dad the paddle to lick.

My dad continues to give me the best culinary experiences in the world. I am the luckiest daughter. Thanks, dad! Love you!

Lemon Ice Cream with Raspberry-Thyme Swirl

Rachel Ellrich Miller

Ingredients:

For the ice cream:

1 cup heavy cream

1 1/2 cups evaporated milk (1 can - shake well)

1/2 cup whole milk

4 each lemons, zested

6 each large egg yolks

1/2 cup granulated sugar

Raspberry-Thyme Sauce:

1 pint raspberries

1/4 cup granulated sugar

a couple sprigs of thyme, leaves removed

Directions:

Mise en place:

In a pot combine the heavy cream, evaporated milk, whole milk and zest of 2 lemons. Heat proof spatula.

In a medium bowl, egg yolks. In a separate small bowl, the granulated sugar. Have a whisk at the ready.

A metal or glass bowl with a chinoise or some sort of fine strainer. Zest the other 2 lemons into this bowl and place the strainer over it. A clean spatula. Plastic wrap.

A bowl of ice that your metal or glass bowl will be able to sit in.

Production:

Place the heavy cream, evaporated milk, whole milk and the zest of 2 lemons into a saucepan over med-low heat. Heat these just till bubbles begin to form around the edge (do not boil!).

When your dairy mixture is heated, whisk the sugar into the egg yolks. Temper the dairy mixture into the egg mixture. Pour back into the pot and return to the heat.

With a heat proof spatula, constantly stir the mixture until it reaches nappe (When your mixture coats the back of a spoon. You should be able to draw a line with your finger through it and have it not close back up.).

Strain into the metal or glass bowl that has the other lemon zest in it. Use the fresh spatula to scrape the bottom of the strainer. Cover with plastic wrap, but press the wrap so that it touches the ice cream base. This will prevent a skin from forming.

Place over an ice bath till the base is just warm, and then place in the fridge. Allow to chill overnight.

Spin according to manufacturers instructions.

For Raspberry-Thyme Sauce:

In a small sauce pot, combine all ingredients and place over med-low heat. Allow sugar to melt completely and raspberries to breakdown slightly.

Remove from heat and chill.

To make the swirl:

When your ice cream is finished churning in your ice cream machine, scoop half out and into your the container you plan on freezing it in. Add some of the raspberry-thyme sauce and swirl with a fork. Add the rest of the ice cream, some more raspberry-thyme sauce and swirl again.

Freeze for a few hours before serving.

To serve:

Place some raspberry-thyme sauce in the bottom of the bowl. Scoop ice cream. Garnish with whole raspberries and sprigs of thyme.