Scoops of Sunshine - Easter Ice Cream

This post is dedicated to my little niece Laila (8 months). This will be her first Easter -- she's not quite old enough yet to eat ice cream; but when she is, I would definitely make this again for her.

My latest creation is a Lemon Kiwi Ice Cream with a Strawberry-Blackberry-Blueberry Reduction. The lemon kiwi ice cream is a great flavor for any sunny spring day...it is light and refreshing. It is not very tart, as I try to add just the right amount of lemon juice to let you know that it is there but not sour enough to make your mouth pucker. The kiwi fruit was paired with the lemon ice cream to bring in some extra sweetness, so that I wouldn't have to use that much sugar.

The berry reduction is very simple sauce. I used 1 cup of mixed strawberries, blackberries and blueberries. If you can find them fresh it is always preferred; but, a frozen fruit mixture would work just as well. I added a 1/2 cup of water to the berries into a small saucepan and let it reduce over a gentle low heat. Once it achieved a nice syrup consistency, I refrigerated it until it was ready to be combined with the lemon kiwi ice cream.

I also made a some some fresh waffle bowls and waffle rolls. I enjoy eating ice cream with a little crispy texture and the waffles were just the right touch. The fresh waffles gave the house a wonderful aroma of caramelized butter and vanilla. I would suggest making the waffle bowls or rolls a few hours before serving the ice cream. My experience is that they will get a bit soft if left overnight.

Here is the recipe for the Lemon Kiwi Ice Cream:
3 egg yolks
2 cups of heavy cream
1 cup of whole milk
1/2 cup of lemon juice
Zest of 1 medium lemon
1 large chopped kiwi
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup of sugar

Combine half of the cream, milk, lemon zest, salt and sugar. Bring to a low boil, temper the eggs with the warm mixture and the then bring back to a low boil or 170 degrees. Place ice cream base into an ice bath and then add the remainder of the heavy cream, chopped kiwi and the lemon juice. Let cool and then refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Before placing the base into the ice cream machine pour it through a fine mesh strainer to remove the lemon zest and kiwi. Follow your ice cream maker instructions.

Once the ice cream is ready, get out your berry reduction sauce and alternate scooping the ice cream and the reduction into a container. Once filled, use a chopstick, bamboo skewer, or just a long clean skinny stick to stir the ice cream and berry reduction once or twice to create a swirl. Let the finished ice cream "age" for at least 4 hours in the freezer and then serve with fresh fruit and a waffle bowl.  You could also create other shapes with the waffle while it is still warm, by rolling it or using a cookie cutter.  Arrange on a plate or in a bowl with the ice cream and fresh fruit for garnish.

(I might change the recipe a little bit next time and reduce the lemon juice over a low heat, as I think the extra water made the ice cream a bit icy.)

Waffle Recipe:
2 large eggs
3/4 cups of sugar
2 tbsp of melted butter
2 tbsp of pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup of heavy cream
1/3 cup of all purpose flour

Combine all the ingredients into a mixing bowl. It should be a similar consistency as for pancake mix and not too runny. If it is too runny just add a little more flour to thicken. Place a non-stick skillet on a medium-low heat. Once the skillet is heated, add a little cooking spray so that the waffles will be easier to flip. For the waffle bowls, I scooped a 2/3 cup into the skillet and swirled it around to form a very thin 8-9 inch circle. If you are making waffle rolls, I would scoop 1/4 cup to form a 5-6 inch circle. Let the waffle cook to a golden brown, then with a spatula loosen it from the pan and flip it over and cook the other side to an equal golden brown.

To make a waffle bowl, place the hot waffle over an inverted small bowl/ramekin. Mold the warm waffle lightly over the bowl and let cool. To make the waffle roll just place the hot waffle on a cutting board and roll gently and let cool.

Spring is in the air. I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter. If you have kids, may the Easter Bunny bring them baskets filled with treats and maybe a Scoop of Sunshine?

I'll have more spring flavors for you next week, so come back to check it out!

Thank you for all the positive feedback!

Bao