Lemon Ice Cream Sandwiches

I've never lived in a place where the onset of summer is gradual. In Chicago and Boston, spring usually consisted of a few cold, rainy days and then suddenly it would be 90 degrees. It is much the same story here in Nebraska. Thankfully, I have an ice-cream maker that I really like (it's a very inexpensive Rival, electric) and a bit of imagination.

Everyone likes ice-cream sandwiches, don't they? Oh come on, you do too. The cookie recipe came from the July issue of Gourmet and make use of cornmeal and lemon zest, which I replaced with lemon oil (a good decision, I think). Oh the kitchen smells wonderful. Unlike the last time I worked with lemons (I didn't have to boil any, thank goodness).

My ice cream and sorbet recipes tend to be very light, and simple. I've had very good results using caster sugar (as it is so light) rather than going to the trouble of making syrup. I made a really wonderful sorbet on Sunday from mashed strawberries, 1-cup caster sugar and 1 cup cherry juice. I like heavy custard type ice cream, but not enough to make it.

You Will Need:

Juice and zest of two lemons
1-cup caster sugar
½ cup heavy cream
½ cup milk (I used 2 % as it was on hand)

Dissolve the sugar in the lemon juice and zest. Add the milk and cream. Process according to machine instructions.


For The Cookies:
(Makes aprox. 12-16)
2/3 cup all purpose flour
¼ cup yellow cornmeal
2 tablespoons cornstarch
¼ teaspoon salt
1/3 cup confectioner's sugar
1 stick unsalted butter-softened
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest (or a few drops of pure lemon oil*)
Granulated sugar for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Sift together flour, cornmeal, cornstarch and salt.

In a food processor, combine confectioner's sugar, butter, and lemon zest until mixed (about ½ minute). Add the dry ingredients and pulse until it comes together in a ball. Roll out on a well-floured board with a floured rolling pin to ½ inch thickness (it is quite sticky) and cut into 2-inch rounds (I used an iced- tea glass). Place on ungreased baking sheets, sprinkle with sugar, and bake 12-14 minutes until edges are golden. Cool on rack.

*Note- lemon oil can be damaging to some plastics so wash spatulas and bowls soon after exposure. For this reason, I do not use it with my ice cream maker, as the paddle is plastic. My food processor bowl is also, but we're talking about a couple minutes of contact as opposed to ½ an hour.