Lemon Poppy Seed Ice Cream

I've been using any excuse to add lemon and poppy seeds to my baking lately. It's a combination that reminds me of spring and peppiness and the sun...can you tell we really need it? I love the flavor of lemon so it may be a good thing I forgot about my concoction for my allotted hour to let it steep. If you want a more subtle flavor let the mixture steep for at least an hour, if you want a stronger flavor let it steep for 3 hours (it's worth it). Cheers!

Ingredients:

- 3 tbsp poppy seeds
- 2 lemons zested
- 2 lemons juiced
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- 5 large egg yolks

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan on medium low heat, add zest, juice, sugar, milk and 1 cup of heavy cream. Stir gently for 10 minutes until oils have been released. Remove from heat and let sit for 3 hours depending on how strong you want the flavor to be
2. Once flavors have steeped, strain your mixture and return to stove on low heat

3. In a separate bowl, whisk egg yolks together. Slowly pour warm mixture into the yolks and return to saucepan 

4. While whisking, bring custard mixture to a temperature of 165-170 degrees Fahrenheit

5. Once mixture is thick, strain into remaining heavy cream and chill at least 8 hours in refrigerator

6. Once chilled pour into ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer’s instructions
7. Towards the end of your freezing process add poppy seeds and make sure they have been mixed in thoroughly