Lime Ice Cream with Ginger Crumble

There is something incredibly satisfying about the cool and refreshing taste of lime. I love everything in the citrus family and lime is one of the most assertive in terms of flavor and acidity, always delivering the best and sharpest pucker.

Just when I thought it was time to prepare for the onset of autumn, along comes an extended heat wave. Temperatures in the 90s aren't part of the normal weather pattern in my city, so it wasn’t long before I was focused on making ice cream. In need of a super quencher, I headed straight for the citrus bowl.

This tart and creamy ice cream goes very well with ginger cookies or ginger snaps. If you don’t want to bother making a whole batch of cookies or don’t have a favorite commercial brand, I include a recipe for a small batch of Ginger Crumble to complete the ensemble. It contrasts these great flavors perfectly and provides a little crunchy texture.

Whatever the current weather pattern in your region, this ice cream is a very satisfying burst of freshness, even in autumn.



Bench notes:
- Processing the lime zest with the sugar releases the citrus oils and aroma.
- Lime juice is harder to extract than lemon juice. If you don’t have a juicer or a press, a citrus reamer is a great tool.
- Adding salt to ice cream is not to make it salty but to pique and enhance the flavors.
- If you refrigerate the ice cream base overnight, the mixture will separate. Just give it a thorough stir before placing in your ice cream machine.
- Add chopped almonds to the crumble for textural interest.
- I think this Lime Ice Cream would be hideously delicious with roasted pineapple or fresh mango or coconut cake. It would also make a great ice cream sandwich with Graham Crackers.



Lime Ice Cream with Ginger Crumble

Lime Ice Cream

1/2 C + 2 T sugar
zest of 2 large limes
1/2 C + 1 1/2 T freshly squeezed lime juice (about 3 – 4 large limes)
1 C heavy cream
1 C milk
pinch of salt, to taste

Ginger Crumble

1/3 C + 2 T flour
heaping 1/2 t ground ginger
heaping 1/4 t cinnamon
1/8 t allspice
slight pinch salt
2 T sugar
2 T dark brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 oz (3 T) cold butter, cut into small pieces
1 t molasses

To make the ice cream, combine the sugar and the lime zest in the bowl of a food processor and process until the zest is finely chopped and the sugar is a bit damp and aromatic. Add the lime juice, cream and milk and process together. Add salt to taste. Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled or overnight.

Stir the mixture to thoroughly combine the ingredients. Freeze the ice cream according to your machine’s directions. Pour into a clean container. Press a piece of plastic wrap into the surface of the ice cream, cover and place in your freezer to firm up.

For the Ginger Crumble, whisk together the flour, sugars, spices and salt until thoroughly combined. Place the butter pieces on top of the dry ingredients and drizzle the molasses over the butter. Toss the mixture to thoroughly coat the butter with flour. Rub the mixture together between the thumb and fingers of each hand until all the butter is worked into the dry ingredients and it resembles wet sand. Spread the mixture onto a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silpat. Chill for about an hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the crumble for about 10 - 12 minutes or until the mixture looks like cookie crumbles. Check it carefully to be sure it doesn’t burn. Let it cool completely to set up. Break into small crumbles.