With run comes love

About a month ago, twelve runners set off on a journey. From Cumberland, MD to DC, they rode in two six-passenger vans. Taking turns running legs of 5-9 miles, they munched on homemade cookies, sported colorful swag from Lululemon Athletica Georgetown, traded jokes, and supported one another with coconut water and Gatorade. In the end, they collectively ran over 200 miles in a little over thirty hours.

This group is called the DC Run Loves. I had the privilege of being a member of this team during the 2010 DC Ragnar Relay, and with their support, I ran just over 17 miles.

Of course, like any noteworthy running team, we sat down to celebrate and eat after the race. To thank Lululemon, I contributed a delicious Lululemon curd ice cream to the Run Loves BBQ.

Lemon curd is a British spread. It's kind of like a jam or jelly, except that the sugar content is much higher, and it is far more solid in texture. It's fantastic with anything gingery, great on pancakes, and particularly tasty on scones, muffins, and cakes. In terms of taste, think lemon meringue pie.

My one reservation with this recipe is that the ice cream came out extremely soft. It held together well, but even a few minutes outside of the freezer yielded some melting. I find this occurs with custard-based ice creams. In simple terms, adding eggs to an ice cream causes the freezing point of the product to increase, creating a softer consistency but richer taste.

For my Run Love friends, thanks for an amazing, uplifting race experience!

Enjoy the ice cream.

lululemon curd ice cream

Ingredients:

3 egg yolks

1/2 cup sugar

pinch of salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup half-and-half

1 cup whipping cream

1 cup lemon curd (I get mine at Trader Joe's.)

Directions:

Whisk together egg yolks, sugar, salt, and vanilla extract.

In a large pot, heat half-and-half and whipping cream over medium heat. This mixture should get hot but not boil. Use a wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of the pot to prevent sticking.

Slowly mix the cream mixture into the egg mixture, going slowly to prevent the eggs from cooking. Whisk constantly while combining these two.

Place combined mixture on the stovetop, and again heat until hot but not boiling. It is ready when you can coat a spoon with the mixture, run your finger through the center of the spoon, and a clear line is seen.

If you find there are bits of cooked egg in the custard mix, run it all through a cheesecloth and reserve the liquid.

Cover and chill ice cream overnight.

Blend lemon curd into chilled custard mixture.

Create ice cream using instructions on your ice cream maker.