The InTolerant Chef ™: gluten and dairy free ice cream

February 14, 2013

Nice Cream

One of my gifts this Christmas was a wonderful Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker from BigJ

It has it's own compressor and everything, so there's no pre-freezing or mucking about and it can even make more than one batch in a row

After a couple of false starts or so, including sending it away for a replacement machine, we finally have it up and running and cranking out yummy lactose free treats

I'm having a great time trying out different flavour combinations and base mixes, but I also want to concentrate on healthier options that still taste as rich and yummy as their full fat, dairy contemporaries, and of course that are InTolerant friendly too.

I came up with this mix a couple of years ago when we were having some friends over for dinner, and whose little boy happens to be anaphylactic to dairy, gluten, eggs and nuts. I don't see any reason to cook two meals when one will do, so the whole meal was based on foods he could eat safely, without the use of an epi-pen.
He loved this dessert, and his Mum and Dad loved being able to relax and enjoy a night out- worry free. We decided to call it Nice Cream, because it was it's nice to allergies, nice to tummies, and nice to eat!

Three simple ingredients

600ml Coconut Cream
2 or 3 Ripe Bananas
5 Cardamom Pods

I used coconut milk, but I think coconut cream would have made a silkier mouth feel
Make sure you use nice ripe bananas for a lovely strong taste and natural sweetness
If you want to add some extra sweetness, a couple of tablespoons of brown or palm sugar should be enough

Give the cardamom pods a bit of a smash to make sure the little seeds are exposed and to release the flavour

Pop the pods and the coconut cream in a saucepan and heat to a simmer. If you are adding any sugar, do it now and stir until it dissolves. Turn off the heat and allow to cool to room temperature and infuse.

Strain out the seeds and pods, their work here is done

Add two or three nice ripe bananas to the cooled mixture and blend it all up until smooth

For super smooth results you can also strain the mix through a fine sieve, but I don't really mind any little flecks of fruit or the odd lump or two

Pop the mix into an ice cream machine and churn according to the manufacturers instructions.
If you don't have one of these, then put it in a large bowl in the freezer and whisk vigorously from time to time as it freezes to break up the ice crystals and incorporate some air into the mix to make it lighter as well

Ready to scoop soft-serve, or pop in the freezer to firm up a little

Perfect smooth and lovely, healthy Nice Cream!

Scoop a lovely dome of deliciousness onto an allergy friendly cone (these ones are Eskal- but I bought an ice cream cone making kit, so stay tuned) and dig right in!

So Dear Readers, what's your favourite ice cream flavour, and do you like one scoop or two?