Kiwi's Ice Cream Recipe

Make kiwi purée

Place the peeled, chopped kiwis, 1 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and 60 ml water in a blender. Purée until smooth, about 30–45 seconds. Taste and adjust sweetness or lemon to balance bright acidity. If you want a very smooth texture, pass the purée through a fine-mesh sieve to remove seeds; press with a spatula (this yields a seedless purée).

Cook down lightly (optional)

To concentrate flavor and slightly thicken, pour the purée into a small saucepan and simmer over medium-low heat for 4–6 minutes, stirring, until it thickens slightly. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate to chill while you prepare the custard. Cooling prevents curdling when mixing with the custard.

Warm milk and cream

In a medium saucepan, combine 1 cup whole milk and 1 cup heavy cream. Warm over medium heat until just steaming and small bubbles appear at the edges (do not boil). Remove from heat.

Whisk yolks and sugar

In a heatproof bowl, whisk together 4 egg yolks and 1 tablespoon sugar until pale and slightly thickened, about 1–2 minutes.

Temper the yolks

Slowly pour about 1/3 of the hot milk-cream mixture into the yolks while whisking constantly to temper them. Then pour the tempered yolk mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining milk-cream, stirring continuously.

Cook the custard

Return the saucepan to medium-low heat and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or spatula, until the custard coats the back of the spoon and registers about 75–80°C (165–175°F) if using a thermometer, about 4–6 minutes. Do not boil or let it scramble.

Finish custard

Remove from heat and immediately stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and a pinch of fine salt. Pour the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl to remove any cooked bits. Let cool for 10 minutes.

Cool rapidly

Place the bowl in an ice bath (bowl of ice water) and stir occasionally until the custard is cold, about 15–20 minutes. Alternatively, cover and refrigerate until fully chilled (2 hours).

Combine kiwi purée and custard

Once the custard is thoroughly chilled, fold the chilled kiwi purée into the custard base. For a uniform color and flavor, mix until homogenous. For a swirled effect, reserve 2–3 tablespoons of purée and gently ripple it into the base after transferring to the container.

Churn (if using an ice cream maker)

Pour the mixture into a pre-chilled ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer's instructions until it reaches a soft-serve consistency, about 20–30 minutes depending on your machine.

No-churn alternative

If you don't have an ice cream maker, pour the mixture into a shallow metal or glass loaf pan, freeze for 45 minutes, then remove and vigorously whisk or beat with a hand mixer to break up ice crystals. Return to the freezer and repeat every 30–45 minutes for 3–4 cycles until creamy (about 3–4 hours total).

Add kiwi pieces for texture (optional)

Near the end of churning or after the last beating cycle in the no-churn method, fold in the finely chopped kiwi pieces so they disperse without melting the base.

Harden

Transfer churned ice cream to an airtight container. If you reserved purée for swirls, spoon the base into the container in layers, dollop purée and use a knife to create a swirl pattern. Smooth the top, press a sheet of parchment or plastic wrap directly on the surface, and freeze until firm, at least 4 hours (overnight recommended).

Serve

Scoop the ice cream 5–10 minutes after removing from the freezer for easier scooping. Garnish with a little lemon zest and a mint leaf if desired.