I don’t often have buttermilk in the refrigerator.
When I do have it on hand, however, the quart sized carton will always be at least three quarters full. (Why don’t they sell smaller sizes?) It will also have worked itself to a position of near invisibility by being out of sight and out of reach near the back of the shelf. There it will go unnoticed for days or weeks until it is well past its already frighteningly generous expiration date. Only then will my husband finally “discover” it and pour its clumpy contents down the drain. He will act completely disgusted at the thought of something so old being allowed to remain in the one place reserved for keeping things fresh and ready for our eventual (and safe) consumption.
He will then give me a mild scolding for being so wasteful, to which I will attempt to explain myself by reminding him that I wasn’t being wasteful at all! I was merely trying to invent a miracle medicine that will cure infections.
This scenario, one that has punctuated our lives together like clockwork every two weeks after I bake anything that calls for buttermilk, will never happen again now that I have discovered the joys of buttermilk based ice cream.
Going forward I am quite sure we will no longer have any buttermilk to spare for culturing into penicillin — all of it will now be dedicated to feeding my newfound insatiable appetite for this ice cream variety. Truthfully, I can now see myself skipping over the muffin making distraction altogether and going directly to the business of making (and enjoying) this ice cream.
Summer berries and fruit – I’m ready for you.
Lemon Buttermilk Ice Cream
Why didn’t I know of this ice cream earlier? How did I function without ever having tasted buttermilk ice cream?
My mind is racing with thoughts of the many variants I will soon be concocting: strawberry buttermilk ice cream, peach buttermilk ice cream, banana buttermilk ice cream… Wait a minute! Dark chocolate buttermilk ice cream!
Who has time for making muffins anyway?
adapted from the New York Times Food Magazine
This is what you will need:
- 6 egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
- 1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
- Heavy pinch of salt.
This is how you make it:
- In a large bowl whisk the egg yolks with 1/2 cup sugar and vanilla until the mixture is pale and holds the ribbon. Set aside.
- In a saucepan, bring the cream and 1/4 cup sugar to a simmer.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool for 2 minutes.
- While whisking rapidly, very slowly pour the hot cream into the yolk mixture.
- Return the mixture back to the pot. and cook over medium heat until it coats the back of a wooden spoon ( 2-3 minutes.)
- Remove from heat and allow to cool briefly before whisking in the buttermilk, vanilla, lemon zest and salt.
- Chill according the the instructions on your ice-cream maker.
Oh, Doctor Trevor!
Penicillin in the fridge?
Ice cream is better…
Yes, buttermilk often creates a similar dilemma in our house. Leftovers usually end up in bread or waffles. Sigh. Ice cream is a far superior alternative.
You are a genius. I have the same buttermilk problem, usually it is nearly converted to a solid by the time anyone remembers to get rid of it. *shudder* But you have me thinking … penicillin ice cream. The cure for what ails you. Coming soon to a brothel near you! (And I love the photo by the way!)
Ha-miracle medicine sitting beside fresh orange juice-tsk tsk!
I blame the whole extra thing on the grocers-no one wants to sell these in pints anymore. I guess they figured if you wanted it you would just consume a lot. This is a great solution to making use of the remainder, ice cream it is. Delicious photo, enjoy that frosty treat, Trevor!
I am dying to know what this tastes like! I do the same as you with the 3/4 wasted buttermilk. I recently found pint sized portions at my local Fred Meyer, which has been waiting for me in the fridge for a week now. I am jealous of your “summer” fruit down there, but looks like the future husband and I will be relocating to HB so we will be neighbors! So when you get to that chocolate buttermilk ice cream, holler at a Greek woman!
That’s it. This is bookmarked for the next time I have extra buttermilk. Your ice cream is the most creative use I’ve seen for buttermilk in awhile!
I may very well have found the dessert course for an upcoming dinner party, thanks to you.
P.S. Do you think buttermilk mold might cure syphilis? I’m asking for a friend.
Hello, buttermilk can be made up in a pinch using regular milk and a splash of lemon juice (or apple cider vinegar). I live in Asia and buttermilk isn’t very common, so I improvise most of the time.