Yuzu Ice Cream

I picked up a few sad looking yuzus at the Ferry Building Farmers' Market this week, didn't look very fresh but they were pretty cheap and I had never tried anything with fresh yuzu. It's kind of like a cross between a lemon and a mandarin. The most common use I've seen is in savory Japanese Ponzu dipping sauces. Since i've been putting anything and everything into my new Cuisinart ice cream maker I thought I'd give Yuzu a try. This yuzu ice cream came out super creamy and refreshing, and simple to make!

This recipe is an adaptation of another person's adaptation of Morimoto's original yuzu recipe.

Ingredients:

2 large egg yolks

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon honey

1 cup whole milk

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup fresh yuzu juice (or fresh lemon juice, but it's not the same!)

Zest of 2 medium yuzus

pinch of salt



Directions:
1. Make the custard: In a large bowl, using a handheld mixer, beat the egg yolks with 1/2 cup of sugar at medium-high speed until fluffy, 3 minutes. In a saucepan, combine the milk with 1 tablespoon honey. Bring to a simmer. SLOWLY beat the warm milk into the egg yolks at low speed (first beat in spoonful by spoonful then when the egg mixture has warmed up a bit you can slowly beat the rest of the warm milk in. Scrape the custard into the saucepan. Cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until thick enough to coat the back of the spoon, about 5 minutes; DO NOT let the custard boil- or you will end up with scrambled eggs ice cream.

2. Pour the custard into a bowl set in a larger bowl of ice water and whisk in the yuzu juice, yuzu zest, salt and heavy cream. Let stand until chilled, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes. (Can transfer to refrigerator if it’s not getting cold, just cover with plastic wrap touching surface of custard so it doesn’t form a skin while chillin).

3. Pour the chilled custard into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions (Cuisinart requires 25-30 minutes). Transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and freeze until firm, at least 2 hours.