Monday, November 24, 2008

Pumpkin Coconut Milk Ice Cream


We've been perfecting our coconut milk ice cream technique for a few months, ever since we realized we were busting our grocery budget on Coconut Bliss, the most rich, delicious frozen treat on the market for the lactose-intolerant among you. This rendition is our creamiest and most authentic yet--it really has the texture and decadence of ice cream. Try this for Thanksgiving and please everyone from Grandpa Meat-and-Potatoes to Cousin Vegan-Liberation. We prefer to use our low-glycemic index friend, agave nectar, but any sweetener will do.

1 14-ounce can coconut milk (regular, not low-fat)
3 tablespoons cooked pumpkin puree (canned works well -- but make sure it's unflavored)
1/4 - 1/2 cup sweetener (agave, honey, maple syrup, sucanat, sugar)
1 inch piece of ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
a pinch of allspice

Grate the ginger and then squeeze it between your fingers or in a cheesecloth to extract the juice. Discard the squeezed ginger pulp. Combine the ginger juice with all of the ingredients except the sweetener and whisk well.

Heat the mixture over a low flame and add the sweetener slowly, tasting as you go. (It won't need to be very hot, just enough to dissolve the sugar and meld the flavors.) Transfer to the fridge until it's cool, then follow the directions for your particular ice cream maker.

6 comments:

Elizabeth Jarrard said...

That looks absolutely delightful!! Pumpkin is one of my favorite flavors, and coconut ice cream is so decadent! Definitely want to try! I just found your blog, and its so cute!!

I Heart Kale said...

Hi Elizabeth--thanks for visiting and we hope you enjoy the ice cream!

The Ubran Poetess said...

I just made my first coconut ice cream this morning. Just chocolate and it turned out really nicely.

Do you think this recipe would need heat if granulated sugar isn't used? I'm trying to use Agave Nectar for my ice creams.

I Heart Kale said...

Noelle, we also make our ice cream with agave nectar, so you wouldn't need to modify the recipe at all. Our hunch is that heating the mixture helps helps the coconut fat to melt and blend with everything else, but you can try it without heating and it'll probably be OK.

wturnerharris said...

Hi! I can't wait to try this. Just found it on the net of course. Where do you find Coconut Bliss? I've been getting Turtle Mountain, purely decadent made with coconut milk and I can't get enough. I'm curious to try this pumpkin flavor... maybe pumpkin pie in an ice cream? yumm!

I Heart Kale said...

You can find out where to buy it near you at http://www.coconutbliss.com/locator/ Enjoy!