Since the weather has been in the mid 90s here in Central Florida, I have been experimenting and enjoying making homemade ice cream over the past few weeks. To start off, this ice cream is awesome! I don’t mean to brag, but my light bulb idea turned out really well this time… you know when you have the “light bulb”, right?  Believe me when I say, you HAVE to make this. This ice cream is friends, family and local chef/food truck owner approved!

So my light bulb idea started when I made a huge batch of Key Lime Curd. It was delicious, and I put it in various things, including these amazing Key Lime Cupcakes. I had quite a bit left over and decided to combine it with one of my all-time favorite sweets – ice cream. Added some sweetened condensed milk and toasted graham crackers… and Key Lime Pie Ice Cream was born.

This Key Lime Ice Cream is a 2 day process – but so worth it! I love the taste and texture. It stays creamy and easy to scoop, even after days in the freezer. I don’t particularly like rock solid ice cream that is hard to scoop and goes from impossible to eat in one minute to melted in the next.

On a side note, thank you Chef Tony from Big Wheel Truck & Big Wheel Provisions and Lake Meadow Naturals for making farm-fresh eggs available to the public! If you are in the Orlando, FL area, you can pick up fresh eggs from Big Wheel, Monday nights at the Audubon Park Community Market, or directly from the LMN Farm Store. Please check the Lake Meadow Naturals website for store hours and information.

Key Lime Pie Ice Cream
a Love & Confections original recipe

Key Lime Pie Ice Cream Ingredients:
 – 350 grams Whole Milk
 – 120 grams Heavy Cream
 – 100 grams Egg Yolks
 – 140 grams Granulated Sugar
 – 200 grams prepared Key Lime Curd
 – 200 grams Sweetened Condensed Milk
 – 200 grams toasted & cooled Graham Cracker Crumbs

Key Lime Pie Ice Cream Directions:
Day 1 (Ice Cream Base)
 – Bring Milk and Heavy Cream to a slight simmer in a small sauce pan, careful not to boil it.
 – While Milk & Heavy Cream are heating, crack eggs into medium bowl (bowl needs to be big enough to contain the egg and milk/heavy cream mixture). Add Sugar and whisk together
 – Temper* the warm milk & cream into yolks
 – Return the whole mixture to the sauce pan and heat to around 105F or nappe**
 – Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a clean bowl and allow to cool to room temperature.
 – Once cooled, store in the fridge, with a lid, for up to 5 days.
 – Place ice cream attachment/bowl in the freezer at least 24 hours before churning

Day 2:
 – Whisk together the Ice Cream Base, Key Lime Curd and Sweetened Condensed Milk
 – Churn according to your ice cream maker manufacture instructions
 – Remove ice cream and fold in the toasted Graham Cracker Crumbs
 – Store in an airtight, freezer-safe container for no longer than a week (but I’m sure you will devour it before then)

* – Tempering (in this case with eggs) is increasing the temperature of a certain ingredient by gradually adding and constantly whisking a warm/hot item into it. Be careful not to add too much at one time and curdle/scramble the eggs.
** – Coat the back of a wooden spoon in the mixture and run a finger down the middle, if the mixture stays separated and doesn’t run, then you should be good. Be careful not to overcook it and curdle/scramble the eggs.

Until next time,
LOVE & CONFECTIONS!