All Things Ice Cream Blog

A couple weeks ago a group of friends and I all went out to eat at a local Indian restaurant. We used to all go to the buffet at the Indian restaurant in Bangor, ME before we moved here (Portland, ME), so I have grown to like it.

They use a lot of curry in southeast Asia and it’s not surprising it has a lot of great health benefits. Most curry powders contain tumeric, which has a multitude of medicinal properties.  So, why not put curry in your desserts?

Coconut-Curry Sorbet*  (courtesy of Ulterior Epicure)

Ingredients
2 cans of coconut milk
2/3 cup sugar
4 cups light corn syrup
2 tablespoon of curry powder, or to taste, recipe follows
2 teaspoons salt

Method:

1. Heat the first three ingredients in a non-reactive pot over medium heat until sugar is fully dissolved.

2. While the mixture is still warm, stir in the curry powder in increments until it reaches the desired taste.  Make sure that the curry is evenly distributed.  Set aside to cool to room temperature.

3. Chill the base overnight (preferably) or at least 3 to 4 hours.  Freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.  When the ice cream is near-frozen, add in the 2 teaspoons of salt.  Transfer to a freezer-proof container and freeze for at least 1 hour before serving.

*Ulterior Epicure had a great paragraph distinguishing between ice cream and sorbet: Althought it’s a sorbet, it was the creamiest and richest of the five tastings.  Ice cream, by it’s very definition, must contain cream.  There are ice milks, and even sherbet, which is dairy + fruit.  And, then there’s sorbet - non-dairy liquid mixed with other ingredients, most commonly fruits. Coconut “milk”, although as creamy (in fact often higher in saturated fat content than cream) as dairy cream, is plant-derived.  Therefore, in frozen form, coconut “milk” cannot be ice cream, but rather “sorbet.”

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I’ve eaten curries from my favorite Thai restaurant, too.  But my favorite thing to get from them is thai iced tea.  It’s so delicious.  A few years ago I found a website that sold that type of tea in bulk and I snagged a few pounds so I could make it at home.  I was so happy to find a thai tea ice cream recipe the other day.  Here it is:

Thai Tea Ice Cream

Steep tea in hot milk for at least 20 minutes:

• 1 1/2c whole milk
• 1/2c Thai tea (the dry stuff)

Mix together:

• 3 egg yolks
• 1c sugar

Stir constantly over heat until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon:

• 1 1/2c cream
• Strained tea/milk from above
• yolk and sugar from above

Strain again if necessary. Chill. Then do the ice cream thing.  (Source: pancake.org)

Nuts are a great source of omega-3 fatty acids.  If you’re not too keen on fish ice cream or even avocado ice cream, try this great recipe for cinnamon black walnut ice cream.  Walnuts are one of the best nuts for omega-3’s.

• 4 cups heavy cream
• 4 cups half-and-half
• 2 cups white sugar
• 2 1/2 cups chopped black walnuts
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

In a large bowl, stir together the heavy cream, half-and-half, sugar, walnuts, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Pour the mixture into the bowl of an ice cream maker and freeze as directed by the manufacturer.  Makes 4 quarts.  If you’re using your ice cream ball, divide by 4.

Over the long weekend I decided to make some yummy hazelnut ice cream in my special Play & Freeze ice cream ball. What’s so special about it? Well, you’ll see in the photos, but here’s a hint: IT GLOWS!

My recipe? It was pretty simple:

1 pint half & half

1/3 cup + 2 tbsp sugar

3-4 tbsp hazelnut syrup for coffee (like this one) — you can do this to taste. Mine was strong, but I like it that way.

Ok, so I mixed up the ingredients and poured them in one end of the ball. I filled up the other with ice and sea salt (I didn’t have any rock salt left).

As you can see, my ball lit up as soon as I put the ice in

And now for the shaking! Check out the neat video I shot:

Halfway through shaking, I stopped to scrap down the sides and inspect the ice cream.

Mmmm… yummy. Time for more shaking!

Another check reveals it’s almost done! I could have kept shaking for better ice cream consistency, but I prefer milkshake texture (and I was too impatient to keep going!)

Notice that my ball stayed lit up the entire time. Perfect for camping at night!

And the final outcome! Two perfect glasses of delicious hazelnut ice cream!

So, my ice cream recipe was not the healthiest. I think there were 80 calories per 2 tbsp of hazelnut flavoring, then the half & half and sugar. To make up for it I ate it with fat free cappuccino brownies. Sorry, I forgot to take pictures of those.

If you’re interested in the glowing Play & Freeze, drop me a line.

Please forgive the cheesy post title.

When Dairy is Not Your Friend is a great blog written by Sara who describes herself as “Slightly obsessive about many things.” I, for one, am glad she’s obsessive about soy ice creams. She has a great post reviewing many flavors of soy ice creams found in various stores. Definitely check it out if you’re lactose intolerant and still want ice cream, or if you just need to read a review before forking over the cash for a pint of soy ice cream.

Sara even shares with you coupons (although this post is a bit dated) she finds for foods, which is wonderfully nice of her! We could all use a little help saving money at the grocery store these days.

If you’re interested in making your own soy ice cream, definitely give Agnes’ recipes on A Vegan Ice Cream Paradise a whirl. Many of the recipes use soy milk or other non-dairy milk products instead of heavy creams and whole milk.

Klondike recently launched the national “What Would You Do for a Klondike Bar?” video contest for anyone willing to showcase their wild side by answering the iconic question. Video entries posted at www.KlondikeContest.com will feature ingenious and imaginative antics performed by Klondike Bar lovers. Be sure to check out the Web site for sample videos.  (Thanks for the heads up Josh!)

The grand-prize winner will receive $100,000 and a trip to meet with Saturday Night Live comedic writing stars Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone of The Lonely Island.

If you want to make your own chocolate dipped ice cream, Marie at MakeandTakes.com has a fabulous picture guide of making them. Be sure to make your ice cream in your Play & Freeze first!

There is never-ending supply of information about omega-3 fatty acids and how, when added to your diet, they can vastly improve your cholesterol & triglyceride levels and also help with your hair, skin and nails. Even people who regularly consume foods rich in omega-3s (like salmon, avocados and nuts) are being urged to take a fish oil supplement because we just don’t get enough.

They are even adding it to baby formula since it is such an essential part of our life. “Scientists report that adding long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids — typically found in fish oil — to baby formula may help infants better regulate their blood sugar and make more proteins in their muscle cells. These results may help make better decisions when dealing with pre-term birth, low-birth weight, and feeding of infants in intensive care.” (Source)

Food technologist have been working hard to add omega-3s to everyday foods like eggs, cheese, yogurt and even ice cream. However, the addition of fish oil makes most food have a fishy or “off” taste. This is something the technologists and “food chemists” are still trying to overcome.

While the scientists and technologists continue working on hiding omega-3s in our ice cream, why not enjoy a nice bowl of avocado ice cream? Avocados are high in omega-3s and easily found in the grocery store. Here’s a great recipe from the Food Network:

Avocado Ice Cream

• 12 ounces avocado meat, approximately 3 small to medium
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk*
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup heavy cream*

Peel and pit the avocados. Add the avocados, lemon juice, milk, and sugar to a blender and puree. Transfer the mixture to a medium mixing bowl, add the heavy cream and whisk to combine. Place the mixture into the refrigerator and chill until it reaches 40 degrees F or below, approximately 4 to 6 hours. Process the mixture in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s directions. However, this mixture sets up very fast, so count on it taking only 5 to 10 minutes to process. For soft ice cream, serve immediately. If desired, place in freezer for 3 to 4 hours for firmer texture.

*Of course, you can always substitute the heavy cream and whole milk for lighter, healthier counterparts. It may take slightly longer for the ice cream to freeze and it won’t be as rich & creamy. But it will still taste great!

Berry lovers rejoice! The awesome blend of a strawberry and raspberry has emerged and has been dubbed the strasberry.

Ice-Cream-Recipes.com boasts that it has the first strasberry ice cream recipe posted on the internet. Here it is:

Ingredients:

4 egg yolks (beaten)
1/2 (250ml) pint full cream milk
1/2 pint (250ml) double/heavy cream,
4 oz (100g) sugar
2 cups of strasberries (fresh, rinsed in water)
1 vanilla pod (sliced down the middle)

Mash the strasberries with half the sugar (ie. 2oz or 50g) in a bowl. Place the bowl in the refrigerator to chill whilst making the rest of the recipe.

Pour the milk into a saucepan and bring slowly up to boiling point but do not boil. Remove from the heat, place the split vanilla pod into it and leave to one side to infuse for about 10 minutes.

In a bowl, beat and mix together the egg yolks and sugar until thick. Carefully remove the vanilla pod from the pan of milk. Pour the milk carefully through a fine strainer into the mixture of egg yolks and sugar whilst stirring. Pour the mixture back into the pan and heat gently, stirring until the custard thickens. REMEMBER: DO NOT BRING TO THE BOIL OR IT WILL PROBABLY CURDLE. When you can see a film form over the back of your spoon it’s time to remove the saucepan from the heat. Leave to cool.

When cool, stir in the cream followed by the mixture of mashed strasberries and sugar. Transfer the complete mixture into an ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

Cathe Olson at vegfamily.com has a great recipe for vegan fudgesicles.   This recipe makes 1-1/4 quarts, so you’ll have to trim it down when you use your Play & Freeze.

Fudgesicle Ice Cream
This vegan ice cream is fudgier and icier than real ice cream - very similar in taste and texture to a Fudgesicle. It gets very hard in the freezer so if you have leftovers, plan to leave them out up to 30 minutes (depending on how much you have) to soften before eating.

• 4 cups soy or rice milk
• 2 tablespoons arrowroot powder
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup unrefined sugar
• 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips (vegan)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Combine 1/4 cup soy or rice milk with arrowroot and set aside. Pour the remaining 3 3/4 cups milk into a medium pan. Whisk in cocoa powder and sugar. Warm over medium heat until milk begins to simmer. Whisk in the arrowroot mixture. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally until mixture comes to a boil. Remove from heat. Stir in chocolate chips and vanilla. Let cool to room temperature. Cover and chill in refrigerator at least three hours. Freeze in ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s directions.

Makes 1 1/4 quarts