Making Lavender & Lemon Ice Cream

Last year I tasted lavender and lemon ice cream from a local ice cream shop. The shop is in downtown Sweetwater and happens to be owned by a very dear friend of mine, Emily. It was the first time, I could ever remember, having lavender and lemon ice cream. It was so refreshing so delicate so creamy and so yummy. I have traveled back to the creamery a few times to get a half pint or two of this deliciousness. But I thought to myself, what if I could make it?

For my Birthday in April I told my husband I would love to have an ice cream maker. I bought one for my nephew for Christmas but I’m not sure he has ever used it. Another nephew told me he absolutely loved his and used it all the time. I had to have one. I love ice cream.

Well I got the ice cream maker for my birthday back in April and I have made a couple of different flavors of ice cream. I was finally ready to try making the lavender and lemon ice cream. I searched for a few recipes and found several and decided to combine a few that I liked. Here is what I got.

***This is the ice cream maker that I got from Amazon. I love it!!!***

I searched for lavender flavoring and finally just settled for a lavender syrup that you can use for many things, such as tea, ice cream and lots of things. You can buy it just about anywhere. I did receive a tip from my friend from the creamery she said you have to use a lot of this flavoring to get a lavender flavor. That is okay with me, until I find the perfect lavender flavoring.

So here is the recipe I used:

1&1/2 cups of whole milk divided

1 cup of sugar

5 egg yolks

Pinch of salt

1&1/2 cups of heavy cream

Juice of 2 lemons, (I may only use 1&1/2 lemons next time)

1/4 cup of lavender flavoring

Heat one cup of milk, salt and sugar in a saucepan to steaming, stirring to dissolve the sugar. In a mixing bowl whisk the egg yolks. Pour 1/4 of the milk mixture into the egg yolks whisking constantly until they are smooth. Pour the tempered egg yolks into the saucepan over medium/high heat until the mixture comes to a boil and thickens. Remove from heat and pour into a bowl. Whisk in the remaining 1/2 cup of milk, heavy cream, lavender syrup and lemon juice. Refrigerate until fully chilled.

When the mixture is fully chilled pour it into your ice cream maker according to the instructions. it’s usually about 20-25 minutes of churn time. It will be sort of like soft serve ice cream after this time. I could still eat an entire container of it.

After churning let your ice cream freeze for up to 6 hours and then enjoy. I have found it best to let your container of ice cream set out at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before serving. It’s delicious!!!!

Not everyone will appreciate the flavor of lavender and lemon. My husband is not a big fan but that just means more for me. I love it!! It’s a perfect spring or summer treat.