One more inspired by Cookshop: lime vanilla ice cream

And also, in tribute to "the dirty bird," and chicky, you KNOW who you are.

Six days ago, Annalena turned the ripe old age of 53. I am somewhat amazed to be here because, diagnoses that were given to me in my twenties told me to plan on not being around past 35. Well, NYAH to all of you. And, having engaged in my current fitness craze, with the help of the amazing Emily (the trainer), and now Sebastian, the mad Paraguyan, I do in fact feel like I am in my 30s, but without the angst and anxiety of those days, and with whatever wisdom one acquires over that time. I'm not quite sure what that wisdom is, by the way. Maybe by the time I make it to 70, I'll know. In the meantime, one has to "keep on, keepin on," as Gladys and her Pips once sang.

You DID miss the digressions, didn't you? Well, they're going to keep going. See, one of the things that went "by the boards" once this fitness madness took over me, was my nightly bowl of ice cream. I almost never eat it these days. Do I miss it? Yes. But as I have recognized it as a "red light food" (you weight watchers alumni out there will know what I mean, and the rest of you can figure it out), I have had to cut it out. Annalena is not a chick who does things part way. So a bowl of ice cream inevitably becomes a pint, and then more. It's as simple as that. So the easiest thing to do is to just cut it out completely.

This does not mean that I have stopped making it. I may be crazy, but I'm not batty! I enjoy the process too much. And I like feeding my loved ones too much. So ice cream making continues.

There is always a period , just about now, when the summer fruit is just about gone. The peaches, the plums, the berries that were so abundant, have left us. We have grapes, pears and apples, locally, and tropicals. The citrus are not with us yet. I am a big fan of all of those local fruits, but grapes make terrible ice cream (and wonderful sorbet). Pears and apples make terrific TASTING ice cream, but texture (again, we're back to texture), turns people off, especially with pear. My apple ice cream is downright CHUNKY, and it can really disturb someone looking for something smooth. So I am always looking for new approaches and flavors for ice cream.

Now, the Dirty Bird, apprentice ice cream maker that he is, has gone in a direction of flavors that Annalena, old fashioned girl that she is, would not approach. This probably is at least partially related to our age difference (which I believe borders on 25 years). As DB tells me about his ice cream flavors, I'm waiting for the day when he jumps up and says "I MADE CABERNET BACON PRUNE TWIRL." And it will probably be good. And I will shake my head and ask myself "where DOES he come up with those ideas ?" And then I will settle down to...

Something like lime vanilla ice cream. Now, there are some connectives here. I met DB at Cookshop, what seems an eternity (and 50 pounds) ago. And it is at Cookshop where I had the inspiration for this ice cream. We ate there on my actual birthday. Now, however much of a health nut you are, if you are not going to have a treat on your birthday, well.... And by treat I am NOT talking about maple syrup flavored soy yogurt. The special dessert that night was a blackberry linzer tart with lime vanilla ice cream, prepared by the second Emily in my life, Emily the pastry chef (does it not seem like there's some dichotomy served up here? I know two women named Emily: one is a personal trainer, one is a pastry chef. I have never seen the two of them in the same place at the same time. Hmmmm).

Well, I sometimes have issues with Emily's desserts. I ordered this one with some trepidation. As a general rule, Annalena finds blackberry baked desserts disappointing. They never seem to capture that allusive and elusive flavor of blackberries. This cake was no exception. I was curious about the ice cream. It was , well, "ok," but not terrific. And I wanted it to be terrific. So, I decided to make some terrific lime vanilla ice cream. And I did. And you can too. Here's how I made mine.

You need two limes, and one and a half vanilla beans. Using a peeler, take the peel from the two limes. You don't have to worry about how long the strips are, just get the things peeled. Split the vanilla bean and the half bean horizontally, and scrape out the seeds. Put the seeds, the empty beans, and the lime peel in a pot, with two cups of heavy cream and ¾ cup of sugar. Bring this to a simmer, then take it off the heat, and let it sit. Come back after half an hour, and taste it. If you think it's strong enough, leave it alone for a bit longer. Always remember that a frozen dessert is not going to taste as strong as the dessert does in unfrozen form. You want this to taste somewhat stronger than how you would like it as ice cream. Keep in mind as well that you're going to dilute this too.

When you think it's at the right flavor strength, add a cup of whole milk, and six egg yolks. If you are timid about breaking up yolks in a milk bath, break them beforehand, by whipping them with a fork or a whisk. Bring the pot to gentle heat, and stir. You know the drill here: you want to bring the mix to 175 degrees. If you don't have a thermometer, SHAME ON YOU, and just use the coat the spoon test (you all remember that, don't you? You put a wooden spoon in the custard, and pull it out. Run your finger down the stuff on the spoon. If it separates without running back together, you're there.)

Ok, if you are doubting whether or not this will be strong enough tasting, leave all the stuff in the custard as it cools, and even as it refrigerates. If you are confident, strain it out. Whichever approach you use, let it chill in your 'fridge, and then get your ice cream maker working.

This will give you about a quart. To my taste, it's a vanilla with a spicy undertone that just barely reminds me of limes. You may feel differently, but it certainly tastes more of vanilla than of lime.

I may make this again, when the Citrus Bomb has her kefir limes ready. THAT may be something for the Dirty Bird to try. DB, keep after me once the citrus comes in. I think you'll have some fun with the kefirs.