Chocolate Brownie Ice Cream (Cashew/Almond base)

After many failures, I have finally figured out what I would like to use for my base. As mentioned in my Mocha Latte post, I figured out that cashew milk is not only delicious, but a very simple substitute for dairy! After messing around with the ratios a LOT, I have finally decided to reveal the most successful one thus far.

Cashew/Almond Base

(Obviously do NOT use this if you have nut allergies!)

2c. almond milk

1c. sugar

2c. cashews

4T. kuzu root (ground to powder)

Slowly heat the almond milk and sugar until sugar dissolves. Add kuzu powder and continue to heat until the mixture begins to thicken slightly. Make sure you are keeping control of the heat- not too hot! Pour the mixture over the cashews and allow to sit for 4 hours. Puree the mixture and strain. When straining, be careful not to push the cashew grounds through the sieve. You may stir the liquid in the strainer, but do not force the liquid through.

Chocolate Brownie Ice Cream

1qt. cashew/almond base

1/2c. vegan chocolate chips

2T. chocolate liquor

1 large brownie or 3 regular/small brownies

In a double boiler, heat chocolate chips and 1T chocolate liquor. As the chocolate chips begin to melt, add the base 1/4c. at a time. By the time you finish adding the liquid, the chocolate should be fully melted. Cool the mixture. Add remaining 1T chocolate liquor. Churn the mixture until thick. Fold chunks of brownie into the ice cream and transfer to freezer-friendly container. Freeze until firm and enjoy!

This ice cream is delicious when paired with a glass of shiraz.

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!

pg. 225 Saffron, Apricot, and Almond Cream

Allow me to begin this with a resounding BOO! to this recipe. 1) I hate using cornflour in recipes. It alters the flavor, screws with the texture, and just...yuck. 2) Saffron? No. Not in ice cream. Never again. I didn't use the 1/2 tsp it called for because saffron sells for $85/oz. My chef let me snag a pinch of saffron from work, which was enough to flavor the ice cream but not really to color it. Thank God, because it is just not okay. The apricot, however, is amazing. Somehow the flavor was completely saved by favorite dried fruit, and all was well.

The one good thing about this recipe was that I accidentally curdled my cream. "How the hell is that a good thing?!" you may ask, BUT this book happens to say how to rescue curdled cream! And it works! All I had to do was plunge my bowl of custard into an ice bath and whisk until it stabilized...which only took like 30 seconds. I was quite fearful that the texture would not turn out okay, but I think it be the best texture I've discovered yet.

Saffron, Apricot, and Almond Cream

2/3c. dried apricots
4T Cointreau or other orange liquor (I used Patron Citronge)
1/2t saffron strands
1T boiling water
3 egg yolks
6 T sugar
2t corn flour
1 1/4c milk
1 1/4c heavy cream
3/4c unblanched almonds (lightly toasted)

Chop apricots into small pieces and put into bowl. Add orange liquor and allow to sit while making custard. In a small bowl, add saffron to the boiling water. Whisk together yolks, sugar, and corn flour together in a separate bowl. Pour milk into a pan and simmer. Temper milk into egg mixture and return to pan. Cook until thick, being careful not to boil. Add saffron and chill until very cold. Stir in heavy cream and churn until thick. Add apricots and almonds and churn until incorporated. Spoon into plastic container and freeze overnight.

While I still hold a bit of resentment for this ice cream, it is not as wretched as I expected it to be.