I love making ice cream, though it’s a VERY rare treat. The flavors and texture of handmade is worlds away from anything in a carton.
A few years ago, when I was living in the mountains of Northern California, I had several neighbors who were also complete food maniacs. We’d invite one another over for meals, and spend hours discussing ingredients and methods. It was great fun and also deeply nourishing right down to a soul level.
One summer, I bought a Cuisinart ice cream machine, and after the first batch of vanilla—rich, smooth, and utterly addictive—I was hooked. I probably made ice cream every week until Halloween that year. Everyone’s freezers filled up with my experiments!
One of my favorites from that busy summer is this mango coconut ice cream. I lived in Hawaii for years, and it brings back memories of the islands. It’s even good enough that the local Thai restaurant traded the recipe for a couple of free meals…win-win!
Mango Coconut Ice Cream
3 cups fresh mango pieces
1/2 + 1/4 cup coconut sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 pasture-raised eggs
1/2 cup coconut milk
2-1/2 cups pasture-raised half and half
Cut mangos into 1/2″ pieces [reserve one cup]. Stir in 1/2 cup sugar. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Puree the mango and syrupy sugar. Add lime juice and puree again. Add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and puree one more time.
Whisk together the egg with remaining 1/4 cup sugar.
Warm the coconut milk and cream over low heat. Add 1/2 cup into the egg and sugar mixture, whisking. Continue adding cream, 1/2 and then 1/4 cup at a time, whisking all the while.
Add the egg and cream back into the warming milk/cream mixture. Turn up the heat as needed and whisk for about 8 – 10 minutes, until just beginning to thicken and the cream lightly coats the back of a wooden spoon.
Strain into a bowl. Cool. (Place the bowl in another bowl of cold water to cool quickly). Stir in the pureed mango. Freeze in an ice cream maker. Stir in the reserved cup of mango pieces.
Prepare yourself for creamy mango nirvana…