Inspiration: Cucumber Mint Icy

With, what feels like, an early summer in our midst, I have been drowning in a sea of iced treat inspiration. I have been wanting to try this one out for awhile because I feel like cucumber and mint are both rather refreshing, cool-you-down ingredients.

I didn't want this to be an ice cream or a sorbet so I played with a few different options; the mold, the Popsicle, and the granita. All three used the same recipe, the only difference was the way it was presented. I call this an "icy" because I was aiming for the crystallized texture that I usually hate having in my other recipes. While I think this flavor combination would work well as a smooth sorbet, when I first came up with the idea I imagined it as a cold, crystallized treat that would take significantly longer to thaw in the summer heat.

Cucumber Mint Icy

4 cucumbers
3 sprigs of fresh mint
4 T agave nectar
1 t tequila

Peel the cucumbers (if desired, reserve a few strips of the skin for garnish). Cut peeled cucumbers in half - the long way - and scoop/discard the seeds using a spoon. Cut into chunks and blend until there are no chunks. Strain the mixture completely (there will still be some pulp on the bottom of the strainer- this is fine to use...you just want to break up the bigger chunks). Chiffonade the mint leaves and add to cucumber liquid. Mix in agave and tequila.




For Popsicle: Add to Popsicle mold and freeze - Don't forget the sticks!
For Mold: Pour mixture into desired mold and freeze...be sure to let it freeze long enough for the middle to be solid!
For Granita: Pour into freezer-proof bowl and freeze. Agitate mixture with a fork approximately every 10 minutes until ice crystals are firm.

Garnish: Julienne strips of cucumber skin and stick in bowl of ice water until they begin to curl. Toss in sugar and place on top of icy!


If you would prefer a sorbet to the harsh iciness of the icy just add another 1/4c. of agave, another 1/2 teaspoon of tequila, and churn in an ice cream maker.

Vegan Experiment: White Chocolate Almond Ice Cream (Coconut Milk Base)

My frustrations with soy milk bases drove me to choose another dairy-free option: coconut milk. I had never worked with it before, so while shopping I wasn't sure if I should use pure canned coconut milk or the drinkable coconut milk beverage. I could see the advantages to both:
Canned Coconut Milk: Essentially as pure as I'd be able to get it, naturally thick, cheapcheapcheap
Coconut Milk Drinking Beverage: Closer consistency to real milk, less coconut flavor
So I got both. This is an experiment after-all! After much conversation with folks, I decided on white chocolate-almond as the flavor.

I melted the white chocolate and folded in the canned coconut milk. It still tasted a LOT like coconut so I added another bag of white chocolate. It. Was. GOOP. Slimy, sticky, tasty goop. Goop that refused to freeze. It wasn't til I looked over my equation that I realized what had happened....my white chocolate content was DOUBLE that of my coconut milk! Oh, the embarrassment! AND the frustration! I had finally gotten it to the point where I could actually TASTE the white chocolate! For that reason, I decided to thin it out using the coconut milk beverage. That way I could get it to the proper consistency without compromising the white chocolate-y flavor I was aiming for. The third churn was finally a success resulting in a relatively creamy (yet still mildly ice-y...I blame the drinking beverage) final product.

In the future, I think I will stick with just the canned coconut milk and create a flavor combination that will either a) better mask the coconut flavor or b) compliment the coconuttiness. I have a feeling that if I had used dark chocolate I would not have run into this problem.

Here is the post-goop recipe (with some edits upon taste-test):

White Chocolate Almond Ice Cream

2- 12 oz bags White Chocolate Chunks
2 cans Coconut Milk
1 quart Coconut Milk Drinking Beverage
1/3 cup Agave Nectar
2 c. Toasted Sliced Almonds

In a double boiler, melt white chocolate with agave. Mix in coconut milk and coconut drinking beverage. Cool. Churn. During the last 3 minutes, add the cooled toasted almonds. Freeze until firm and enjoy!

Experiment: Vegan Carrot Cake Ice Cream

The past few days my mind has been a-flurry with ice cream inspiration. Flavor concepts, plating ideas, scoop & sweet pairings, I even drew out a potential logo for my future ice cream shop! All in all it has been the brain-waves that I have been dying for lately. I was in a super rut, and now it feels like I'm in four-wheel drive and gettin' outta the mess!

I began my come-back with two experiments. The first was an all-vegan version of my Matcha Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream (Please remember to rate my recipe!) which actually did not turn out well at all. The mint overpowered everything and for some reason it came out very gritty. My second experiment was a new concept for me: Vegan Carrot Cake Ice Cream. I had it all worked out in my head...The base would be freshly grated carrots soaked in soy milk, mixed with date paste, agave, cinnamon, and fresh ginger. The final product would be round balls of ice cream coated in crushed walnuts...YUM!

The flavor turned out spot on...the texture, however, could use some work. I found out the hard way that soy milk is pretty much water. It makes the ice cream incredibly icy and impossible to scoop even WITH stabilizers and alcohol! What stabilizer did I turn to, you ask? Well...I made my own! I was disappointed in all of the options presented to me, so I decided to use my BFF science to my own advantage. Of course there is no way for me to tell if it worked yet because the soy milk pretty much nullified any chance, but here was my theory.

I blended fenugreek seed, kuzu root, and flax seed together in a specific ratio until it created a powder (each of those ingredients has emulsifying and thickening qualities while also being incredibly healthy for you) and mixed it with enough water to create a paste. For the sake of this recipe I am leaving the stabilizer out and switching in soy creamer. Of course, I do not know yet if that will help with the texture, but if it is still super hard- just leave it out for a little bit :P

Vegan Carrot Cake Ice Cream

1qt soy creamer
4 ea. dates (blended to a paste)
1/4c. silken tofu
1/4c. agave
1t. cinnamon
freshly grated nutmeg to taste
2ea. peeled carrots (freshly shredded with microplane- separated)
1t rum
1/2c. chopped walnuts

In a blender, combine silken tofu, dates, and soy creamer. Over very low heat, mix together date mixture and agave until combined. Add spices and 3/4 of the shredded carrots. Allow to sit overnight. Strain carrots out of mixture, add rum, and churn until thick. During the last 5 minutes, add the remaining shredded carrot. Store in a freezer proof container. When serving, scoop ice cream into balls and toss in chopped walnuts. Top with some dairy free whipped cream or vegan cream cheese frosting for extra authenticity!