Meyer Lemon-Poppy Seed Ice Cream With Meyer Lemon Scones And Candied Meyer Lemon Zest

Cooking Instructions

For Meyer lemon-poppy seed ice cream:

Combine cream and milk together in a medium saucepot. Add sugar and corn syrup, and bring to a boil. Whisk egg yolks in a large bowl. Once the milk and cream have come to a boil, ladle about a third of the hot liquid into the yolks while whisking. Return mixture to the remaining hot liquid, whisking continuously. Strain custard through a chinois. Chill thoroughly.

Add crème fraiche, Meyer lemon zest, lemon juice and poppy seeds to chilled custard, whisking until crème fraiche is dissolved into the mixture. If necessary, strain mixture again to remove any clumps. Process custard in an ice cream machine according to manufacturer's instructions.

For candied Meyer lemon zest:

With a vegetable peeler, peel skin off lemons, avoiding the pith. Then, neatly slice lemon peels into 1/4-inch wide ribbons.

Place sliced zest in a small pot. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Immediately strain, discarding the water. Set aside.

In the same pot, combine sugar and 2 cups of water. Mix thoroughly so the sugar does not settle at the bottom of the pot. Bring the mixture to boil. Add the sliced zest. Return mixture to a boil and then turn down to a simmer. Continue simmering until the mixture thickens into a syrup slightly thinner than honey. Brush sides of the pot with a pastry brush dipped in water to prevent sugar crystals from forming. When the syrup has reached the proper consistency, transfer the contents of the pot to a clean metal or glass container. Cover immediately with plastic wrap.

For Meyer lemon scones:

Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. With your hands, work the butter into the dry ingredients, pressing it between your fingers until the mixture resembles very coarse meal and the butter pieces are the size of small peas. Add chocolate and half a cup of candied lemon zest and toss together. Add the buttermilk. Gently scoop the flour from the bottom of the bowl and toss it with the buttermilk, repeating this motion until all the flour is evenly moistened. Avoid kneading the dough. It should still look crumbly, though moist. This will yield a tender, flaky scone.

Once all the ingredients are moistened, dust a smooth work surface with enough flour to form a thin blanket. Turn the dough out onto the work surface. Press the dough into a 121/2-inch by 81/2-inch rectangle. Cut the rectangle into 21/2-inch strips and then cut the strips into four 2 1/2-inch by 2-inch squares. Slice each square in half diagonally, to yield 24 small scones. Place the scones on a parchment-lined baking sheet as you slice them. Freeze them for one hour.

Preheat oven to 325F. Remove scones from freezer. Place cream and raw sugar in separate bowls. Dip top side of each scone in the cream, then in the sugar. Arrange on a parchment lined baking sheet, allowing about an inch of space in between each scone. Bake for 7 minutes. Rotate baking sheet 180 degrees. Bake another 5 to 10 minutes. The scones will be golden brown on the top and the bottom when ready. They may be served when slightly cooled, or warmed again just before serving.

For salted pistachio garnish:

Preheat the oven to 325F. Toss pistachios in a bowl with egg white. Add fleur de sel and gently mix with nuts. Turn out on to a baking sheet. Roast for about 2 minutes, or until the egg white has dried and the pistachios are glossy.

To assemble:

Scoop two or three large scoops of ice cream into serving bowls. Place a warm scone in each bowl. Garnish with remaining candied lemon zest and salted pistachios. Serve immediately.