Some people remember places they visit when they hear a certain song, or smell a specific scent. I remember places by the food and one treat that always brings me back to La Jolla is green tea ice cream. It capped off our meal at a place called Sushi on the Rock and it was unforgettable.
I was recently sent a recipe book called Paleo Ice Cream. The tagline: 75 Recipes for Rich and Creamy Homemade Scoops and Treats. Sounds good to me! And when I found paleo green tea ice cream among them, I knew that was the one I’d make first.
I don’t follow a paleo diet, but I was curious to taste a paleo ice cream so I made this recipe as directed with one exception; I replaced the honey with agave nectar. Recently I gave up caffeine, so I used decaffeinated tea bags as well. If you want to make a “regular” green tea ice cream, you would just use half and half instead of coconut milk.
I recommend using the xanthan gum, even though it is optional because it is a great thickener. I found a small 50-cent package in the organic/health food section of my grocery store.
This book explains how to make ice cream even if you don’t have an ice cream maker. I have an old hand-crank ice cream maker that I got when I was a kid, and it’s still going strong. Because of the change in temperature and adding warm to cold, you will also need a covered pyrex dish.
- 1 13.5 oz canned coconut milk
- 4 tablespoons honey or agave nectar
- ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum optional
- 1 tablespoon matcha tea powder or ½ cup loose green tea or 8 green tea bags
- 3 whole egg yolks
- In a medium saucepan over low heat, combine coconut milk, honey, and xanthan gum (if using).
- Add green tea powder. Or, if using loose green tea leaves or bags, add tea and let simmer on low heat until ice cream reaches a dark cream color, stirring occassionally. Once steeped, about 30 minutes, strain the warm mixture with a fine mesh strainer to remove leaves or tea bags. Set aside.
- In a heat-safe bowl, whisk the egg yolks until they reach a fluffy consistency. Add a smalll ladle of the warm mixture and stir until combined. Continue adding the warm mixture, one ladle at a time until it's completely mixed into the egg yolks. Don't add too much of the warm mixture at once or you may end up with scrambled eggs!
- Cover the mixture and refrigerate until completely chillded (8 hours to 2 days).
- Freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions and enjoy! If you don't plan on serving the ice cream immediately, transfer to a freezer-proof container and freeze up to 1 week (or 2 months if you use xanthan gum and place a layer of plastic wrap on the surface of the ice cream). To serve, remove from the freezer and let sit about 15 minutes or until desired texture is reached.
This looks nice and refreshing! I am not much of a green tea person, but I would definitely try this!