Lemon & Berry Ice Cream

I posted a review of McConnell's Ice Cream in Los Angelis in June. Since then I have been searching for a way to duplicate the flavors in their Eureka Lemon and Marionberry ice cream. My first attempts were with a no-churn version, but to me, it tasted too much like frozen whipped cream. Luckily my children understood my passion and gave me an ice cream maker for my birthday. (Love you guys.) They purchased a Cuisinart 21, which was rated the best by America's Test Kitchen.

My concoction has a great lemon flavor, and you can use any berry that you like. I tried blackberries in this recipe but, my husband didn't like the seeds in it. Raspberries or blueberries would be perfect to avoid that problem. I am allergic to strawberries, but I am sure that would be a good option too.

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon lemon extract

1 cup sugar

3 large eggs

2 cups half and half

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1-pint berries, mashed

Whisk the zest, lemon juice, sugar, and eggs in a medium saucepan. Add the half and half, vanilla, and lemon extract. Cook on high heat, constantly whisking, until the mixture comes to a simmer. A simmer is when small bubbles pop up in the liquid. Leave the mixture off the burner to cool for about a 1/2 hour. Then place this in a bowl, put plastic wrap over it touching the liquid, and refrigerate overnight or up to 24 hours.

Follow your ice cream maker instructions for the churning. When the mixture is almost at the ice cream stage, add the berries to create a streak of flavor rather than having the flavor incorporate fully into the ice cream. I did not get a streak of the berries. Instead, my ice cream was pink. Better luck next time.