Tender Coconut Ice Cream (Eggless)

I’m sure everyone loves ice cream and it’s not just kids who enjoy these yummy summer treats, but we all our favourite flavours, toppings and the likes, don’t we? I’ve heard so much about how easy it is to make ice cream at home, and seen such beautiful posts that the bug inside me has been dancing to make my own. Today just happened to be that glorious day when I finally managed to make and plate my favourite ice cream, eggless and insanely simple….Tender Coconut Ice Cream 🙂

I’ve been cooking and clicking for over 2 years, but it’s been only 8 months since I began to blog. Food blogging not only calls for an orderly documentation of recipes, but also for good, clear photos, ones that cannot always be done with a mobile camera. Luckily, I’ve been blessed by not one, but two DSLR cameras, one Dad’s Canon (which I have claimed as mine 😛 ) and the other, a Nikon gifted by my Mama. Anyone who takes professional pictures will know that it takes time and patience, and lots of hits and misses for that perfect shot. But today, I had none of those luxuries to spare. If rightly said, today was the most difficult photo-shoot of my short blogging career.

As ambitious as I am, I have long since wanted to make my own ice-cream, and post it. But Kolkatans will know that the weather here is pretty much described as ‘Hot as Hell’; humidity and heat are melting people, toh ice cream kya cheez hai? -_- But I was determined, and when I want to do something, no one can stop me….so I armed myself with a tub of ice, a pre-chilled AC room, an ice cream that was freezing for 15 hours, and a prop stage and camera ready to go ‘click click’…. I did bash my hand a bit while scooping the ice cream, and the ice cream did melt some, but other than that, the project went smoothly, and boy, am I ecstatic to have been able to pull off my first REAL ice cream post! 😀

Tender Coconut Ice Cream (Eggless)

Ingredients:

• Tender Coconut Flesh – of 2 coconuts (Daab)
• Sweetened Condensed Milk – 1 can
• Fresh Cream – 1 cup
• Powdered Sugar – 1/2 cup (optional)
• Fresh coconut water – 1 cup
• Toasted coconut flakes – for garnish

Method:

1. Remove the soft white flesh (malai) from the coconuts and chop.
2. Place them in a blender jar, with the condensed milk, powdered sugar and coconut water.
3. Give it a quick whiz and add the fresh cream.
4. Now blend the mixture, but don’t make a fine paste, let the paste be slightly coarse.
5. Take a freezer-proof plastic container and pour the ice cream mixture into it.
6. Cover with air-tight lid and freeze for 2 hours.
7. After 2 hours, blend the semi-frozen ice cream again.
8. Repeat process and pour into container again.
9. Ensure it is air-tight, and let ice cream freeze for 10 to 12 hours.
10. Scrape some fresh coconut flesh and toast it in the microwave or on a skillet.
11. Sprinkle over ice cream just before serving.

Notes:

1. You can use heavy cream, half and half or whipping cream instead of fresh cream.
2. Skip the sugar if you like the ice cream less sweet.
3. Add coconut milk if you want a more coconutty flavour…I like mine to be mellow.