The straight-up carrot juice ice cream is the least sweet, but the flavor has depth and the concept is whimsical. If you wanted to sweeten the deal, you could whisk in a little honey or maple syrup and still keep refined sugar out of the equation, the apple pear flavor was subtle but still satisfying. The beet mix was the group favorite. One reviewer declared “It’s like we’re on a trip to Indian and on the way we stop at the beach,” which had me steadying myself on the butcher block with open palms and a gaping mouth for the description was so spot on. It was sweet, but not too sweet, vaguely exotic but not overwhelmingly so, and laid back. You don’t have to think too hard to enjoy this one. No esoteric spices or stir-ins.
If you don’t have a juicer, don’t worry, you can get some from your local health food store. Most grocery stores sell carrot juice at the very least. You can also use fruit juices. There are few limits.
What started out as a joke turned into a collection of very pretty and satisfying desserts. Will I continue making ice cream without eggs, cream or sugar? Probably not. But for those times when someone you want to feed can’t dive headfirst into the naughty but lovely ingredients in a batch of ice cream, this works.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon corn starch or tapioca starch (see Note)
- 1 1/2 cups fruit or vegetable juice, freshly pressed if possible
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl, stir the tapioca starch with 1/4 cup of the coconut milk until smooth. Set aside. Heat the remaining coconut milk in a small saucepan over low heat until it bubbles around the edges. Whisk the starch mixture into the coconut milk and cook gently over low heat, stirring briskly, until mixture begins to thicken, which will happen quickly. Once it appears to be thickening, remove it immediately from the heat and whisk in the juice. Transfer the mixture to a heatproof bowl and let it cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until chilled.
- Process in your ice cream machine according to manufacturer’s directions.
