Orange Popsicle Ice Cream

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Anyone else out there love creamsicles?  Those orange popsicles filled with a cylinder of vanilla ice cream where one of my favorites growing up.  Heck, they are still one of my favorites.

Orange Popsicle Ice Cream from David Lebovitz's The Perfect Scoop is based on those treats of yesteryear.  This was one of the most delicious and easiest ice cream recipes I've made in a while.  And, it tastes exactly like a creamsicle!

Sour cream adds a bit of tang and is completely unexpected.  The rest of the ingredients are simplicity at its finest; sugar, orange zest, orange juice, half-and-half, and a splash of Grand Marnier.  Whir it all up in a blender and your ice cream base is done.  Easy.

A bite of this ice cream is like biting into sunshine.  Crisp, slightly tart, and refreshing.  What could be better on a hot summer night?

Orange Popsicle Ice Cream
The Perfect Scoop, David Lebovitz

Note:  I took several liberties with this recipe based on the ingredients and equipment I had on hand.  The recipe is the original recipe and my changes are below.

2/3 cup (130 g) sugar
Grated zest of 3 oranges, preferably unsprayed
1 1/4 cups (310 ml) freshly squeezed orange juice (from 4 or 5 large oranges)
1 cup (240 g) sour cream
1/2 cup (125 ml) half-and-half
2 teaspoons Grand Marnier or another orange liqueur

In a blender, pulverize the sugar and orange zest until the zest is very fine.  Add the orange juice, sour cream, half-and-half, and Grand Marnier and blend until the sugar is completely dissolved.

Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. 

(Cooks Notes:  I used 1 cup orange juice and 3/4 cup half-and-half.  I also used 1 teaspoon of fiori di scilia and reduced the Grand Marnier to 1 teaspoon.  Lastly, I used my food processor instead of a blender.)