Lemon, Thyme and Goat Cheese Ice Cream
5 Jun 2013
The most amazing things are born of me trying to use stuff up in my fridge. Crazy thoughts start to run through my mind as I try to imagine how to knock out all the fruit, cheese, and milk before going out of town. This little idea had been percolating for a while, but it got way more awesome when I realized that I had half a log of goat cheese to dispense with.
I have been obsessed with thyme for years now, and I think I can safely say it is my favorite fresh herb. I love the mellow earthiness it adds to any dish, and I had been wondering about pairing it with lemon and nudging it from the savory to the sweet side of the flavor spectrum. This little experiment was encouraged by this farmer’s market miracle. We bought this thyme for one dollar. And this isn’t even all of it. An embarrassment of riches! I have been thinking up new things to do with it ever since.
I realize that goat cheese sounds like an unlikely ingredient for ice cream. But I assure you, its light tang is the perfect counterpart to the bright lemony zest that makes up the rest of the spoonful. This is, without a doubt, my favorite ice cream I have ever made. I sprinkled in some pecans for good measure, and they’re perfectly at home here as well, just a touch of sweet crunch. Eric and I make ice creams all summer long, but I’ve never shared them here because it’s so hard to take a picture of them before they melt. This is the one that finally compelled me to give it a try. It looks kind of weird and chunky, but that’s because these were the last bits I had left. Never has an ice cream gone so fast from our freezer. And this may just be my favorite incarnation of goat cheese yet.
Lemon, Thyme, and Goat Cheese Ice Cream with Pecans
2 c whole milk
1 c heavy cream
4 oz. goat cheese
2/3 c sugar
1/4 Tbsp salt
Zest and juice of two lemons
Leaves from 10-15 sprigs of thyme (or more if you like it as much as I do!)
-Heat milk, cream, cheese, sugar, and salt over medium-low heat, and stir constantly until well combined. Remove from heat and stir in lemon zest and juice with thyme leaves. Cover and refrigerate overnight, or at least 2 hours. Stir well to recombine the dairy with the lemon juice and freeze according to your ice cream maker’s instructions.

Jun 05, 2013 @ 06:41:18
Divine! If I had an ice cream maker, I would never be able to post my creations BECAUSE I WOULD DEVOUR THEM IMMEDIATELY!!!!!! You and Mr. Wonderful are models of restraint!
Jun 09, 2013 @ 22:59:38
You are hilarious, and I love you! The ice cream goes pretty fast around here, which is why that is such a tiny bowl!
Jun 05, 2013 @ 11:22:36
This sounds pretty awesome, dude. š I like the addition of the pecans for the added texture, too. I could use a bowl of this to get me going today; I tried pilates for the first time yesterday and everything feels a little slower than usual this morning….
Jun 09, 2013 @ 23:00:58
I thought you might like it:) It’s turned out to be a happy experiment. Oh, pilates! I am not even totally sure I know what that is, but I am impressed! Maybe I would go to the gym more if I had someone as delightful as you to go with!
Jun 05, 2013 @ 12:00:58
???!!! I never would have thought if such a combination but WOW do I want to try it!!!
Jun 09, 2013 @ 23:02:14
It was great! If you don’t have an ice cream maker, I think you can actually just make it in a plastic bag in your freezer, stirring it every 30 minutes or so to keep ice crystals from forming. We got a little inexpensive ice cream maker last summer, and let’s just say it’s seen a lot of mileage in its first year:)