My Wife is a Chef

Meyer Lemon Gelato

Make the Pie…
Meyer Lemon Gelato Pie

Fill a large bowl with ice water and set a smaller bowl inside. Set a fine-mesh strainer in the smaller bowl. Whisk the cornstarch and 1 cup of the milk together in a medium bowl until the cornstarch dissolves. Combine 1/2 cup of sugar, the milk powder, corn syrup, salt, and the remaining 3 cups of milk in a medium (4-quart) saucepan over high heat. Whisk to break up and dissolve the milk powder and heat the milk until it just begins to bubble. Turn off the heat and gradually add the milk-cornstarch mixture, whisking constantly. Return the heat to high and bring the milk back to boil. Reduce the heat to medium high and cook, stirring constantly with the whisk, until the gelato base thickens slightly, 4 to 5 minutes. It will get viscous but will not thicken enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Pour the gelato base through the strainer into the bowl set over the ice water and set aside to cool to room temperature. Transfer the base to an airtight container and refrigerate for at least several hours and up to three days.

Remove the base from the refrigerator and pour it into a large bowl. Stir the lemon zest, the lemon juice, and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar together in a small bowl until the sugar dissolves. Add the lemon juice mixture and the cream to the bowl with the base and whisk to combine. Pour the base into the bowl of an ice cream or gelato maker and spin it according to the machine instructions. Serve the gelato straight from the maker or transfer it to an airtight container and place it in the freezer until you’re ready to serve it. Serve the gelato within a few hours of spinning it, before it hardens.