Cuisine pg 2 3-29-12
- Details
- Category: Past Issues
Greetings. Last week, when it was so warm, a tall glass of iced chai seemed like a necessity. While enjoying that little moment of refreshment, the ‘what if’ notion of making it thick and spoonable came to mind. I made a fortified version of chai, let it sit in the fridge to brew, and made this ice cream. It is certainly not low in calories, maybe there are some health benefits from the anti-inflammatory spices, anti-oxidant tea, and healthy fat from the coconut milk. Vegans can replace the honey with another sweetener like maple syrup or agave, and use (¼-½ teaspoon?) agar or xanthan for the gelatin.
Chai Ice Cream
(gluten, dairy, and egg-free)
To make the chai:*
1½ cups water 4-in cinnamon stick 4 whole cloves
6 cardamom pods (green) 12 black peppercorns
1-in piece fresh ginger, chopped 1 tablespoon black tea
Bring water to a boil in small saucepan. Add spices and ginger. Simmer over very low heat for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, and add tea. Allow to cool completely, and refrigerate for 6-8 hours, or overnight. Pour through fine, mesh strainer, or cheesecloth. Set aside.
¼ cup cold water 1 tablespoon gelatin ¼ cup boiling water
1 cup chai from recipe above 1 2/3 cups coconut milk (1 can, not ‘lite’)
½ cup honey 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
In small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over cold water to soften for 10 minutes. Add boiling water, and stir to dissolve. Set aside.
Combine remaining ingredients in blender on high for 15 seconds. Add gelatin, and blend again for 15 seconds. Keeping mixture in blender jar, refrigerate for 2 hours.
When mixture is thoroughly chilled, prepare ice cream maker.
Remove blender jar from refrigerator, and blend again for 10 seconds.
Pour mixture into ice cream maker, and proceed according to manufacturer’s instructions to finish ice cream.
*Or follow instructions using 1½ cups water and 3 black tea chai tea bags.