Coconut, Cardamom, & Honey Ice Cream

I really wanted a flavor that was sweet and simple with a depth of flavor. The cardamom adds a kind of extra mouth feel as a warming spice in a cold dessert.

Yield: 2 servings.

Ingredients

¾ cup canned coconut milk

¼ cup almond milk

4 green cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum) pods

2 tablespoons honey

1 pinch salt

Directions

• Crush or grind cardamom pods just enough to break the pods and scar the seeds. We don’t want them to be powdered, but we do want them to begin to release their aroma. Next, toast the cardamom pods in the bottom of a small saucepan. Once the aroma of the cardamom begins to waft up from the pan, pour in your canned coconut and almond milk. Bring liquid to a scald, meaning there will be subtle movement on the surface of the liquid before it begins to boil. Then remove it from heat and allow it to cool for a few minutes. Then while the mixture is still warm stir in the honey and salt, and allow it to cool completely. For a vegan version of this recipe just replace the honey with maple syrup.

• Once the mixture is cooled, strain the liquid into a refrigerated glass bowl, using a fine mesh strainer, and whisk vigorously for a few minutes to re-emulsify any of the fat solids that might have separated during the cooling process. If you have a blender with a glass bowl you could also chill your blender bowl in the freezer, and blitz the liquid in there for a few minutes. This will continue to cool the mixture as well as ensure that there are no fat-solid floaties before the mixture goes into the ice cream machine.

• Following the instructions for your ice cream machine, pour the mixture into your ice cream maker, and set it to start churning. Once the mixture has reached a soft serve consistency you can serve it up, or put it in a freezer-safe container and store it in the freezer for a firmer hand-dipped ice cream texture.