To celebrate the summer solstice, let the ice cream making season begin. Here I share my master recipe with abundant variations, encouraging you to go out and forage for wild fruits and to make the best ice cream you've ever tasted.
Fruit Ice Cream (Uncooked) Master Recipe
Makes one quart
With this basic uncooked recipe, you can use any fruit in season along with your choice of dairy or coconut milk and sweetener. Adapt the recipe to the ingredients at hand or to meet specific dietary needs. I usually use at least one cup of heavy cream as part of the liquid dairy to insure a creamy result. Surprisingly, replacing the dairy entirely with coconut milk also produces delicious creamy ice cream, making our lactose-intolerant friends very happy. When using yogurt or kefir, since these dairy choices are more tart and less sweet than milk and cream, try using more sweetening (perhaps 1–2 tablespoons more).
- 2 egg yolks (fresh, pasture-raised and organically fed)
- ½ cup sweetener, or to taste, such as raw honey, maple syrup, or Sucanat
- Use either 1 cup Fruit Coulis (here) or 2 cups fresh (or frozen and partially thawed) fruit (pits and seeds removed) cut into 2-inch chunks, and 2 tablespoons additional sweetener. If using whole berries that contain seeds, you may want to purée and strain the berries first.
- 2 cups liquid dairy; use one type or a combination: heavy cream, whole milk, whole milk yogurt and kefir (grass-fed, organic and raw if possible) or unsweetened canned coconut milk
- Optional: 1–2 tablespoon Vanilla Extract (homemade), rum, cognac or other liquor
- Place egg yolks and sweetener in food processor and blend for 1–2 minutes until thick and creamy.
- Add fruit and dairy or coconut milk and blend for another minute.
- Add optional ingredients and pulse for a couple of seconds.
- Taste and add more sweetener if desired.
- Chill the mixture to 40ºF.
- Process mixture following instructions of the ice-cream-making equipment you are using.
- Serve immediately or store in the freezer.
[Equipment note: I have made ice cream successfully with a quart-size cup and an immersion blender in place of a food processor.]
Intense Fruit Ice Cream Variation: To intensify the fruit flavor of the ice cream (either when your fruit has a subtle flavor or just for the sake of fruit intensity), use less dairy and more fruit; replace one of the cups of liquid dairy with another cup of Fruit Coulis (or one cup of fruit purée and one tablespoon of sweetener) and then follow the preceding master recipe.
Chocolate Fruit Ice Cream Variation: Chocolate added to fruit ice cream makes for seriously satisfying eating and combines exceptionally well with raspberry and red currant. To make, reduce the liquid dairy in the master recipe by ½ cup. When the ice cream is just about ready, — firm but not hard — pour ½ cup Chocolate Ganache (here) in sauce stage — still pourable but cooled — into the ice-cream maker and continue processing for a few more minutes or until ice cream is ready.
Fruit Ice Cream (Uncooked) Variations:
American Black Currant Ice Cream
This rich, dark ice cream has a pleasing, unusual chocolate-like taste.
Use 2 egg yolks, ½ cup maple syrup, 1 cup American Black Currant Coulis (here), or 2 cups fresh (or frozen and partially thawed) American black currants with two additional tablespoons maple syrup, 2 cups heavy cream, 1 tablespoon rum (optional) and follow directions for Fruit Ice Cream (Uncooked) Master Recipe.
Red Currant Ice Cream
Red currants are pretty sour and need more sweetening than other fruit — hence the additional amount of honey used in this recipe.
Use 2 egg yolks, ½ cup plus 2–3 tablespoons raw honey, 1 cup Red Currant Coulis (here) or 2 cups fresh (or frozen and partially thawed) red currants with two additional tablespoons honey, 2 cups heavy cream, and follow directions for Fruit Ice Cream (Uncooked) Master Recipe.
Wild Red Raspberry Ice Cream
This fragrant, luscious ice cream is one of my favorites. I make it often in the month of July when the raspberries are abundant and ripe in the fields.
Use 2 egg yolks, ½ cup raw honey, 1 cup Raspberry Coulis, or 2 cups fresh (or frozen and partially thawed) raspberries with two additional tablespoons honey, 2 cups heavy cream, and follow directions for Fruit Ice Cream (Uncooked) Master Recipe.
To help with id, harvest and use, here is our Black Raspberry Plant Map from Foraging & Feasting: A Field Guide and Wild Food Cookbook by Dina Falconi (me), illustrated by Wendy Hollender. Book link ~ http://bit.ly/1Auh44Q
Black Cap Ice Cream
A beautiful purple ice cream that is full of the tangy wild flavors of the meadows.
Use black raspberries in place of red raspberries.
Wild Grape Ice Cream
In late summer and early autumn wild, dark grapes hang from trees, infusing the air with their fruity, robust flavor. Homegrown or purchased concord grapes can be used in this recipe with excellent results. To increase the grape intensity of this ice cream, use less cream and more fruit.
Use 2 egg yolks, 1/3–½ cup raw honey, 2 cups Wild Grape Coulis or 4 cups fresh or frozen and partially thawed grapes, puréed and strained, 1 cup heavy cream, and follow directions for Fruit Ice Cream (Uncooked) Master Recipe.
Wild Grape Coconut Ice Cream
The coconut milk adds a subtle, tropical twist to this dairy-free version.
Use 1 cup of canned, pure, unsweetened coconut milk in place of the cream.
Blackberry Coconut Ice Cream
Another delicious, dairy-free ice cream that uses coconut milk in place of the dairy; also tasty made with raspberries or blueberries.
Use 2 egg yolks, ½ cup raw honey, 1 cup Blackberry Coulis, or purée and strain 2 cups fresh (or frozen and partially thawed) blackberries with two additional tablespoons honey, 2 cups canned, unsweetened coconut milk, 1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract and follow directions for Fruit Ice Cream (Uncooked) Master Recipe.
Pawpaw Ice Cream
Smooth, thick and delectable, with a gentle aroma, Pawpaw Ice Cream calls to mind the tropics. To increase its intensity, use less cream and more fruit, and just a touch of vanilla so as not to overpower the pawpaw’s delicate flavor.
Use 2 egg yolks, 1/3 cup maple syrup or mild flavored honey, 2 solid-packed cups fresh or frozen and partially thawed pawpaw fruit (pits and skin removed), 1 cup heavy cream, 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract, and follow directions for Fruit Ice Cream (Uncooked) Master Recipe.
Persimmon Ice Cream
Use the small American persimmons (Diospyros virginiana) or, if none are available, use the Asian Hachiyas (Diospyros kaki) variety. Make sure the persimmons are completely ripe, detected by a fragile, almost translucent skin that surrounds super-soft flesh. Fully ripe fruit appears almost rotten. Caution: if not completely ripe, the fruit is extremely astringent and leaves an unpleasant dry and tight sensation in the mouth. To increase the persimmon’s intensity, less cream and more fruit is used than in the master recipe.
Use 2 egg yolks, 1/3 cup maple syrup, 1½ solid packed cups fresh or frozen and partially thawed persimmon (pits removed), 1½ cups heavy cream, 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract and follow directions for Fruit Ice Cream (Uncooked) Master Recipe.
Recipe, text, and illustrations from Foraging & Feasting: A Field Guide and Wild Food Cookbook by Dina Falconi (me), illustrated by Wendy Hollender. Book link ~ http://bit.ly/1Auh44Q