Key Lime Pie Ice Cream
I’m a big citrus girl, and one of the things that I love about living in Southern California is just how expansive our citrus season really is.
From the dawn of winter (which usually starts out at about 75 degrees), through spring, and even into summer, we have some of the best citrus fruit out there. One of my favorite unsung heroes is the Key lime, which I feel is so unfairly underrated and underutilized. Where is the Key lime love? This recipe is one of my favorite ways to honor these petite, deliciously floral little fruits.
I’m also a big ice cream fan, and I cannot tell you how many batches I’ve made over the past couple of summers. Let’s just say.... a lot. I actually developed this recipe in December or January (remember those 80 degree winter days I was telling you about?) when I came upon a mountain of ripe Key limes in my local Vallarta. Fast forward to a few —or more than a few— months later, the limes just kept coming! When I picked up another bag full there was no question what recipe I was going to make first. I broke out my Cuisinart (the best “budget” ice cream maker IMO— no sponsorship here just a Cuisinart fangirl) and got right to juicing.
The limes are definitely the shining star of this recipe, but the graham cracker crumbles are what really brings our whole “pie” flavor fantasy to life. I do love homemade graham crackers (I’ll share my favorite recipe with you soon!), but go ahead and use your favorite kind, store bought or not. You’ll be good to go either way!
Ingredients:
Ice Cream Custard:
1 ½ cups heavy cream
1 ½ cups whole or 2% milk
½ cup sugar
3 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of Kosher salt
¾ cup key lime juice (about 20-25 key limes)
10 graham crackers
Instructions:
Freeze the bowl of your ice cream maker overnight. Store in the freezer while you prepare the custard and graham crackers.
Making the ice cream custard:
In a medium sized bowl, whisk the sugar and egg yolks together for about 60 seconds (until they become a slightly paler shade of yellow).
In a small to medium saucepan, combine the milk and heavy cream. Gently warm over medium-low heat until small bubbles start to form around the edges. Keep it over very low heat to avoid boiling.
Slowly stream ½ cup of the steamed milk into the sugar and egg yolk mixture. Working very quickly, whisk together until smooth to temper the eggs.
Slowly pour tempered egg mixture into the saucepan and whisk quickly to combine. Add the vanilla extract and a pinch of Kosher salt.
Increase the heat slightly to medium-low and cook the custard for 3 to 5 minutes until it reaches 170°F (be careful not to exceed 175°F). If you don’t have a thermometer, cook until the custard evenly coats the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Once cooled, cover it closely with plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator for at least 5 hours.
After the custard has chilled:
Quickly whisk the key lime juice into the chilled custard and pour into your ice cream maker. Add the cup of finely ground graham cracker crumbs and churn the mixture for 20-25 minutes.**
In a sturdy container*** layer the churned ice cream with the reserved graham cracker chunks. Cover and freeze completely for at least 6 hours.
