How to Make: Coconut Ice-Cream

So anyways, most people who know me well know that I like my sugar fermented- preferably in the form of wine.

I’m the girl in the office who truly doesn’t want a slice of birthday cake. I’m the girl who really isn’t tempted by sweets. When I tell a waiter not to bother with another spoon, I mean it. I’ll make the occasional exception- some restaurants are just so good that you know the dessert is going to be something appropriately portioned and amazingly creative. Josh Emmet and Rata in Queenstown- I’m looking at you!

But when I was up in Bali, I indulged…just a little, but it was still indulging…on coconut ice-cream and coconut sorbet.

I had it when I was feeling ill that first lunch at Casa Luna (and before you ask- it wasn’t Bali Belly, I was feeling pretty manky before I left Sydney)…and then again a few days later when I wasn’t feeling ill. They do a non-dairy version that’s light, refreshing and with fine slices of jackfruit and teeny tiny bean pods for texture.

I had it as dessert at Sardine. They do a palate cleansing sorbet that tastes as pretty as it looks.

Then there was the coconut ice-cream that sat on top of the passionfruit curd and pineapple tart we had at Will Meyrick’s Hujan Locale. Lusciously, decadently smooth. Luckily, it’s also in Meyrick’s cookbook Sarong Inspirations.

So I made some…and despite the fact that we were eating it in front of Masterchef catch-ups with the heating on, if I closed my eyes, I was back in the tropics. You want the recipe? Here goes, with all of the usual acknowledgements re rights etc*…

What you need…

• 600ml coconut cream
• 500ml full fat milk
• 12 egg yolks- free range, of course
• 500g white sugar
• 400ml coconut cream (additional)

What you do with it…

• Whisk together the egg yolks and the sugar until it’s a yellowy peak.
• Simmer together the milks and in the thinnest, slowest stream possible, little by extremely little, pour over the eggy mix, beating well in between and taking care not to turn it into a scrambled mess.
• While you’re doing this, have a small saucepan of water on the stove and bring it to a simmer.
• Transfer the non-scrambled eggy, milky mix to a bowl and pop it over the pan of simmering water. Keep stirring it until it thickens- it should coat the back of a spoon.
• Either transfer it to the fridge to cool or, if you’re in a hurry like I usually am, pop the bowl into some ice (I usually pop some cold water and ice in the sink) to cool it quickly- again, keep stirring.
• When cool, add the extra coconut cream and pour it into your ice cream maker and churn as usual.

My notes…

• I halved the recipe. There are only 3 of us, so this made plenty.
• I reduced the sugar even further- the coconut cream is naturally quite sweet, and because we don’t eat a lot of desserts, we’re a little sensitive to sweetness.
• I only had lactose-free milk in the fridge, but that worked absolutely fine- and made it lactose-free.

• I use an ice cream maker attachment on my Kitchenaid that does the job perfectly well. I churn the ice-cream until it thickens and the churner starts to jump a little- at least 30mins. It’s the churning that gives you that soft, smooth texture.

• Where I added the additional coconut cream, you can add other things. Next time I’m experimenting with mango pulp. For other suggestions, you’ll need to buy the book! Actually, the book is worth buying for more than just ice-cream alternatives…just saying…
• I served it with slightly smashed meringue (hello, what else do you do with 6 egg whites?) and some diced mango and shaved dark chocolate.

The Verdict? It’s a keeper.

*Excerpt From: Will Meyrick. “Sarong Inspirations.” Sarong Group, 2013. iBooks.