Coconut and Mango Ice Cream

Success! Sweet, Sweet Success!

A few days ago, I dared myself to try another coconut ice cream recipe. I told myself it'll probably turn out like the last one, and why waste another can of coconut milk? I eventually won myself over by finding a suitable recipe.

It's surprising how there is no (well at least I haven't found any) recipes which require just simple ingredients, like milk, cream, sugar and coconut milk. Maybe it's something to do with the coconut taste is too mellow, or the taste too strong. I don't know, and I won't be experimenting.

I changed the method of the original recipe a little bit, to suit me and what I found easiest. The recipe is for coconut and mango ice cream, custard style. Custard style is where you beat egg yolks and sugar together until thick and pale, and then add a hot milk or cream mixture into it, making sure to whisk vigorously, lest it becomes scrambled eggs. Then you pour that mixture back into the pan which you heated the milk in and heat that again. In previous attempts I have always ended up with more than enough cooked egg bits in this step. But this time, it was different. I read somewhere that the temperature has to reach 70-75°C (160-170°F) and then it's ready. The custard turned out perfect, and no stray cooked egg bits to be found.

I refridgerated the mixture for a few hours, but when I took it about, a semi-solid layer had formed on top.  I didn't know what it was, so I strained it out. Stupidly I chucked the residue out. Later on, I found that it was cream (or otherwise known as fat), and the ice cream would be a lot more creamy if I had strained that into the mixture. Oh well.

Five minutes before it was finished, I added some squished up mango. I like having bits of mango here and there, so I didn't process it into a puree. I was expecting distinctive swirls of mango-orange, but it just blended into the pure whiteness of the coconut. I guess you can't expect home-made ice cream to be the same as retail ice cream.

After freezing in my ice cream machine, I opted to just keep it in the freezer bowl an didn't transfer it into a plastic container. I'm not sure, but I've go a feeling that it's a bit harder than normal ice cream because of that. Or, it may have been the fact that, technically, it's low fat (ha!). The result was so delicious! The coconut was very subtle, but the nuttiness, almost almond taste, lingers behind on your palate. Then you get little nuggets of frozen mango. Mmmmm! This is one of the best ice cream I have made - along with Cookies n Cream, Green Tea and Red Bean.

Recipe

Obtained from here.

Makes 1.5 litres.

300 mL cream
300 mL milk
400 mL coconut cream or milk
4 egg yolks
1 cup white sugar
1 cup mango pieces/puree


1. Gently heat the cream, milk and coconut milk/cream in a heavy pan.

2. Meanwhile, whisk together the yolks and the sugar in a bowl, until thick and pale.

3. When the milk mixture just boils, take off the heat.

4. While whisking constantly, pour the hot milk mixture about a tablespoon at a time into the egg yolks. Continue whisking until all the milk has been poured in.

5. Pour the egg mixture back into the heavy pan and heat on medium until the mixture reaches ~70°C. To test readiness without a thermometer: Coat the back of a spoon with the custard. Run your finger along the length of the spoon, and if the trail remains on the spoon, it is ready.

6. Refridgerate the mixture until completely cold.

7. Freeze per your ice cream machine's instructions. Five minutes before ready, tip in the mango pieces.