We needed an ice cream substitute. BAD. Crazy bad.
We all have a sweet tooth, but since we really can't tolerate dairy any longer, regular ice cream was out of the question. So, I got to thinking. The main components of ice cream are basically sugar, fat and flavorings. Coconut milk is FULL of fat, and is creamier than whole dairy cream. Why couldn't I use that?
Turns out? I can. It actually makes a very convincing ice cream. Although *technically* a sorbet as it is made of fruit, the creamy smoothness of the coconut milk exceeded our expectations. Frankly, we prefer it to "the real thing".
Even better, it is so stupidly simple, children could make this with ease.
It does have sugar in it (I use raw, organic sugar, but any sweetener like honey, agave, etc. will do).
This is very much a "cheat day" or occasional item, not an every day indulgence.
So here's the recipe:
I have a 1qt. counter-top ice cream maker, so this recipe makes enough for that. Double or triple for bigger makers.
2 cans full fat coconut milk. I like the "Thai Kitchen" brand (no metabisulfites). Don't use"light" it doesn't work as well.
1 cup of sugar or alternate sweetener (agave, honey, even maple syrup would work)
1 egg
1T vanilla (real vanilla, not extract)
Combine all ingredients in either a double-boiler or heavy saucepan. Boil the water for double-boiler or med-low heat for saucepan.
With a whisk, constantly stir the mixture until all sugar is dissolved being careful not to overcook the egg. This mixture does not have to get incredibly warm.
Once the custard is cooked, pour it into the ice-cream maker. If it is the counter-top type, it helps to pre-freeze the mixture in the bucket for an hour or so before putting it on the stirrer. If you are using the bucket / ice type, start freezing it in the bucket immediately.
Once the sorbet is frozen and has an ice-cream like consistency, transfer to freezer storage containers & place in freezer.
This recipe, as you can see, is for basic vanilla. You can add LOTS of different flavors to make any flavor you can imagine. Here are some of our favorites:
Chocolate:
Whisk in about 2T of plain cocoa (or more for a deeper chocolate flavor) as you stir the custard. Stir it well as you don't want hunks of cocoa in your ice cream.
Strawberry:
Food-process or blend about 1C of fresh or frozen strawberries and add the puree to the mix. This can be done with any type of berry or fruit. Frozen works just as well as fresh. Note: adding fruit adds water and will make a more ice-milk consistency to the sorbet.
Mint-Chocolate chip:
Add a few drops of mint essential oil to the ice cream after you transfer it to the ice cream maker. The paddles will stir it in. Add the chocolate chips (gluten free, preferably) near the end of the process as the sorbet thickens. They will suspend in the mixture. Alternately: make a puree of about 1/2 c. of fresh mint leaves & add it to the mix after cooking. (The mint oils is what provides the flavor, heat destroys these).
Use your imagination! There is so much you can do with this simple recipe. GO WILD!!!
Happy eating!
Jen
