Recipe 6: Coconut Ice Cream with Crystallized Ginger

Monday, February 2, 2015

   

               One of the most exciting things about this challenge is getting to try new ice creams that I wouldn’t necessarily choose for myself (especially if I had to pay for it; I like knowing that I’m going to love my ice cream before shelling out five bucks), and this week was one of those recipes that I never would have tried: Coconut Ice Cream with Crystallized Ginger.

                 Now, it’s not that I dislike coconut or coconut milk; the real problem is the ginger.  I’ve always found ginger just a hair under unbearable.  It’s so tart that it hurts a little bit, and it’s really, really strong (especially if you’re just going to eat a chunk).  But what can you do?  It wasn’t my week to choose the recipe.

However, this is now one of my top three favorite recipes.  This ice cream has a custard base with half coconut milk/half heavy whipping cream, and the texture is so incredibly creamy and thick.  Adding coarsely chopped chunks of ginger intensified the base flavor while creating a pleasant, tangy surprise.  The flavors married well together, and it was just delicious.  I didn’t have to add anything to it either – no chocolate, no shortbread, no whip cream, just creamy, delightful coconut ice cream with ginger.

                 This custard base was also a lot easier to make than the Cinnamon-Basil one – for a few reasons.  One would be the coconut milk, which helped prevent curdling.  Another would be the fact that this recipe only requires three egg yolks (unlike the Cinnamon-Basil’s eight).  Finally, I was much more cautious with the heat, leaving it on medium-low for about ten minutes and stirring constantly before getting bored and jacking it up to medium (and stirring constantly).  The resulting custard was perfectly thick and smooth without the slightest hint of curdled eggs.  The entire process was actually very peaceful.

                 Once again, this recipe came from Peggy Fallon’s book Ice Cream and Frozen Desserts.

Ingredients

• 1 can (13 to 14 ounces or 375 to 400 grams) unsweetened coconut milk (I used organic because I was at Whole Foods, but I don’t think it matters)
• 1 cup heavy cream
• ½ cup sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 3 egg yolks
• 3 tablespoons coarsely chopped crystallized ginger
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Pour the coconut milk into a heavy medium saucepan, making sure to scrape the thick part at the bottom; whisk to homogenize.  Whisk in the cream, sugar, and salt.  Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for approximately 5 minutes or until the sugar dissolves and the coconut cream is hot.
2. Beat the egg yolks lightly in a medium bowl.  Gradually whisk in about ½ cup of warm coconut cream at a time until you’ve added about 2 cups.  Then return the egg yolk mixture to the saucepan, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook, stirring, until the custard thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon (If it won’t thicken, raise the temperature to medium.).  Do not let boil or the egg yolks will curdle.
3. Remove the coconut custard from heat and let cool to room temperature.  Cover and refrigerate until very cold, at least 6 hours or as long as 2 days.
4. Once the custard is cold, stir in the ginger and vanilla.  Pour the custard into the canister of an ice cream maker and freezer according to its directions.  Transfer the ice cream to a covered container and freeze until it is firm enough to scoop, at least 3 hours or overnight.  (Honestly, the ice cream sets so perfectly while churning that it’s good to go immediately.  There’s really no need to wait.)

                  I cannot praise this ice cream enough.  I absolutely love the thick, creamy custard base, and the addition of crystallized ginger to amazing.  My only complaint is that this recipe doesn’t make that much – barely four cups!  Next time, I think I’ll double it (and maybe had some toasted coconut on top).

Overview

• Base prep time: 20 – 30 minutes
• Base chill time: at least 6 hours
• Ice cream set time: good almost instantly; otherwise 3 hours to overnight
• Taste: thick and creamy, almost foamy, very rich with a mild but discernible coconut flavor and small, sharp bites of crystallized ginger
• Difficulty level: low to medium
• Expense level: low to medium (neither coconut milk nor crystallized ginger is too terribly expensive and much of this can be made with ingredients you already have)
• Makes: about 1 quart (4 cups)