Homemade Coconut Milk Ice Cream

It got pretty warm here this weekend and it got me thinking about ice cream. I almost bought some coconut milk ice cream at the store yesterday, but it is a little pricey. Then I remembered my friends making some homemade ice cream out of coconut milk a few weeks ago and they did not use an ice cream maker. I bet I could do that, too! It would certainly be a lot cheaper than buying a pint of Coconut Decadence ice cream.

I didn't want to make a lot since I am definitely one of those people who could sit and eat a whole pint of ice cream in one sitting, so this recipe is scaled down to serve two people. After looking at some recipes, I knew I wanted to make a custard base. That just seemed like it would give me the creamy taste sensation that I was looking for in ice cream. Most coconut milk ice cream recipes don't use eggs though, so I made my own variation of a custard-based ice cream here.

• 1 can of full-fat coconut milk
• 3 egg yolks
  
• 1/4 cup palm sugar
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• a dash of sea salt
• 3 ounces dark chocolate
  

1. Cook coconut milk and palm sugar in a double boiler until hot, but not boiling. (You can create a double boiler by putting a bowl over a pot with water in it.) Since you are cooking the palm sugar in a hot liquid, you can just put whole chunks of it into the milk. It will dissolve in the pan!
   
2. Whisk egg yolks in a bowl. Add a spoonful of the hot coconut milk to eggs while whisking, then add another. You are trying to get the yolks closer to the temperature of the coconut milk so they don't just start cooking.
3. Now pour the egg mixture into the double boiler and whisk it all together. Continue stirring over heat until the mixture gets thick enough to coat a spoon. Remove from heat. Stir in the almond extract and salt.
4. Pour your custard mixture into a container with a lid. Put that container into a larger bowl with ice to cool. (I just used the bowl that I had used as my double boiler.) Once it is cool enough to put your finger in without burning, cover the top and put it in the freezer.
5. Every 45 minutes, take the container out of the freezer and stir it. This is necessary because stirring incorporates air into the ice cream and it also prevents large ice crystals from forming. If you just throw it in the freezer and forget about it, you will end up with one solid, inedible chunk.
6. Once the custard gets to a soft serve consistency, drizzle the melted dark chocolate over the top and then stir it in as it freezes. This will give you some nice chocolate pieces throughout your ice cream.
7. Keep stirring it every 30 -45 minutes until it is done. This should take 3 - 4 hours. Serve and enjoy!
   

I had thought about making a peach ice cream before chocolate almond ice cream won my taste bud's vote. To make the peach version, you would need to puree a peeled peach and add that to the mixture after it is done cooking. If your peach is sweet enough, you could probably do without the added sugar entirely. Almond extract would still be a nice addition, but vanilla would be a good choice as well. I bet you could do any sort of fruit ice cream exactly the same way. Try a cup of mango puree or bananas instead of peaches for a nice tropical treat!

You can, of course, add anything you want to the custard base once it is cooked. It is your ice cream, after all! Try nuts, chocolate chips, fruit, or marshmallows. Just keep in mind that the solid additions should be added once the custard reaches soft serve stage. Otherwise they might all just sink to the bottom or clump together.

Feel to play around with the recipe and create your own delicious and dairy-free ice cream treat. Have fun with it!