Flaherty Wines

The boys and I have been on a quest for the perfect coconut ice cream. We tried recipes from Ben and Jerry (too sweet, too much base), David Liebovitz (toasting the coconut was interesting, but it didn’t give us the rich coconut flavor we were after), and Chanterelle/Kate Zuckerman (just weird with the sour cream). We finally worked it out on our own, using sweet coconut cream to flavor a cooked custard base. (Note that it’s coconut cream, not coconut milk.) I use fewer egg yolks than many custard recipes, because our farm eggs quickly dominate the other flavors, resulting in a very eggy ice cream. Four work well here, creating a smooth, creamy texture that does not go icy in the freezer. Spectacular.

Coconut ice cream

1/2 cup whole milk
1 can (8.5 oz/240 g) coconut cream
Pinch salt
4 egg yolks
2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup grated coconut

Combine the milk, coconut cream, and salt in a small pan and heat, stirring to combine well. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly.

Pour the cream into a medium-sized bowl and set that over ice in a larger bowl. Set a strainer over the cream and set aside. In a small bowl, briefly whisk the egg yolks. Add just a few drops of the hot milk to temper the eggs, then a few more drops, whisking as you go until all the milk is added. Return the hot milk to the pan and heat, stirring constantly with a heat-proof spatula until the mixture thickens. Pour the mixture through the strainer into the cream and whisk in the grated coconut, then continue stirring gently with the spatula until the mixture is cool. Refrigerate for at least two hours or overnight before freezing in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.