Tuesday, August 9, 2016

Lemon Ice and Losing My Innocence in New York City

Whenever I make this refreshing lemon ice, I always think of a story my father told me many years ago, about the Italian ice vendors in New York, stirring a few lemon seeds into their tubs, so that people would think they were using real lemons.

They weren’t, which sort of disappointed me at the time, but eventually I came to appreciate the hustle. I loved the story, but it also had me facing the cold, hard truth that all is not what it seems. What else wasn’t real? Anyway, that’s about as heavy as I want to get on this pleasant summer evening.

This couldn’t be any easier to make, and you can really play around with the texture, depending on what you’re into. Some people will stop at the slushy stage, but I generally keep freezing and forking until I have shaved ice crystals. I love the contrast between that light texture; and bright, vibrant flavor. I really hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!


 Ingredients for 8 portions:
4 cups cold water
7/8 cup sugar (14 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons lemon zest
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 8 to 10 lemons)
1 teaspoon lemon extract

17 comments:

Mike said...

I do this with lemonade.
Being lazy I put the mixture into the freezer and wait til it starts to freeze, then pour it into the frozen bowl part of an ice cream maker and start stirring.

Elisha said...

Limes just arrived in the supermarket this week...

Unknown said...

How long will it ramain slushy in the freezer?

Unknown said...

How long will this recipe remain slushy in the freezer

Derfen Allmarsh said...

Could you use vanilla extract, or maybe vanilla beans instead of lemons? I'd love to say I made some Vanilla Ice, just to say it.

Misti said...

I guess you don't have to beware of this yellow snow. ;)

Unknown said...

What did the Italian ice vendors use in lieu of lemons?

Greg G said...

Sort of off-topic, but is there any place/post where you list the equipment you use? I like that you have stuff that looks like it's from a restaurant supply store, so not all that fancy name-brand stuff. Still, inquiring minds and all that.

tilen21 said...

Hi Chef John,

Is there no problem with pesticides using lemon zest? Citruses are the only fruits that even in the stores it's writen do not eat the skin, becasue it contains toxic chemicals (unless they are organic ofcourse), it's always a doubt i have, because i don't always have fresh lemons from the garden.

Best regards from Slovenia
Tilen

Miles said...

For the lazy ice cream maker owners out here, do you think this is makeable in an ice cream machine? Or will it just churn the liquid for half an hour and make very cold lemonade instead?

tamtam said...

Yum! A light and refreshing treat for a hot summer day

Eurobo said...

Looks delicious! "Watch out where the huskies go and don't you eat that yellow snow." - Frank Zappa

LuvLuzzy said...

This looks so incredibly refreshing and easy. Thank you for the recipe, Chef John! :D

GIGI said...

GREETINGS CHEF JOHN.....I LOVE ALL YOUR VIDEOS AND YOUR FINE SENSE OF HUMOR.......MAKES MY DAY...! MY QUESTION IS.....WHERE CAN I FIND AN ICE CREAM MAKER LIKE YOURS.? WHAT IS THE BRAND..? I'VE NEVER HAD ONE SO AM DOING THE RESEARCH>>>> MANY THANKS IN ADVANCE.....Sincerely, Gayle..

David M said...

Hello Chef John. I've made this recipe as is and it's fantastic, but was wondering if I could do the same things with oranges. Substitute lemon extract, lemon zest, and lemon juice for their orange counterparts. My only concern would be that it would be too sweet with the same amount of sugar. Do you think cutting the amount of sugar in half would do it?

David M said...

Hello Chef John. I made this recipe as is the other day and it was fantastic, however it got me wondering if I could do this with other citrus fruit, specifically an orange. I would just substitute the lemon zest, lemon juice, and lemon extract for their orange counterparts. My only concern is with oranges the amount of sugar used in the recipe would make it too sweet. Would cutting the amount of sugar in half make it alright you think?

Unknown said...

Oh so taste & beautiful!
I want to become a food blogger as you. And I was suggested a WordPress theme here
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and I want to have some advices for me. Tks so much!