Olive Oil and Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream

 

Serves 4

Gluten and Dairy Free

 

We found this recipe last Summer in "A Year in My Real Food Kitchen".   What a revelation to try an ice cream made from olive oil, which was unexpectedly creamy and had a divine taste - it was consumed so quickly that I forgot to photograph it, but will do so next time we make this!

 

 

Ingredients

 

• 250 ml (1 cup) almond milk (preferably home made) or use any other milk of your preference

• 250 ml (1 cup) coconut milk

• 4 large free range egg yolks

• 100g (½cup) unrefined raw sugar (we used Rapadura, but you could use Maple Syrup or honey)

• Good pinch of fine sea salt

•  ⅛ teaspoon of either xantham or guar gum

• 60 ml (¼ cup) extra-virgin olive oil (or a milder one if you prefer)

• 30g dark chocolate, roughly chopped or melted to swirl through the ice cream mixture.

 

 

Method

 

1. Combine almond and coconut milk in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.   Bring slowly up to just below boiling point, stirring occasionally to prevent milk from catching on the bottom of the pan.
    

2. In a large heatproof bowl, whisk egg yolks, sugar and salt until thick and pale.   When the milk has nearly come up to boiling point, pour a little over the yolks while whisking constntly, then whisk in the rest.
    

3. Pour the whole lot back into the pan, turn heat down to medium and return to heat.    Cook while stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, for 5-6 minutes or until mixture thickens and coats the back of your spoon.
    

4. Remove from heat and strain through a fine sieve set over a clean bowl.  
    

5. Whisk in olive oil in a steady stream, then set aside until cool, stirring occasionally to prevent a skin forming on the surface.    This bowl can be placed inside a large one filled with ice to speed up the cooling process.   The ice cream will then be ready for churning.
    

6. Churn the ice cream according to manufacturers directions until nearly frozen and then stir through chopped chocolate.   Transfer to lidded container and freeze.
    

7. It is suggested that this ice cream has a short shelf life of no more than a week in the freezer, but it is so good, it is likely that it will all be consumed long before then!
    

8. If you don't have an ice cream machine, simply pour the custard mixture into a loaf tin and freeze for one hour untill the edges are starting to freeze.   Beat with an electric mixer or whisk, return to the freezer and repeat a further 2-3 times before stirring through roughly chopped chocolate and returning to the freezer for 2 hours.   The texture will be different to the results from an ice cream maker, but delicious nevertheless.