Toasted Coconut Ice Cream


It’s not that ice cream is limited to the lazy days of summer, but we all know that keeping cool is a major part of our thinking in The South.  Making ice cream has traditionally been one of the ways we did that as families.

But we did more than make ice cream.  Much more.

I remember as a child getting so excited when I saw Pa bringing the wooden ice cream churn from the wash house.  (If you grew up in The South, you’ll know what I mean by wash house.  That’s a story for another day.)  Dragging along behind him with the #2 washtub was my job, and I did it as eagerly and quickly  as my short chubby legs would let me.

Setting the washtub up on the backdoor concrete steps was no easy task when I gained that responsibility around the age of 5.  But I was ever so glad to do it.  There were rewards.
I mean.  Somebody always (usually me) got to lick the paddle of the ice cream churn.

Pa would set the churn in the middle of the washtub and wait for Nonnie to bring out the milky deliciousness that would become homemade vanilla ice cream.  Made from milk and cream from their cow and eggs from their hens, brimming with pure vanilla and honest-to-goodness sugar, it truly must have been “nectar of the gods.”  At least that’s how I remember it.

Sometimes,when she could find a promising one at the local market, Nonnie would ask Pa to crack open a coconut and harvest the sweet meat and milk inside.  It was not an easy task at all. But he was glad to oblige because he knew the reward that was to come.  And because he loved pleasing my grandmother.

He would hammer and chisel away at that hard shell until the pure white chunks fell out ready for the grater.  He would do that as well.  
 
She would pour that liquid gold into the central aluminum bucket, nestle in the wooden paddle and secure the top.  The heavier-than-me (of course it was) block of ice we had purchased from the local ice house was chipped away piece by piece with the ice pick that was always stuck in the wall of the aforementioned wash house.  Occasionally, one of those chipped – away pieces would find its way into my hands and mouth.  Rock salt was scattered like snow among the layers and layers of ice chips.
 
All the while, I was turning that handle and cranking the cream knowing only too well that the time would come when it would be Pa’s strong hands that would have to replace mine.
The anticipation of it all was almost unbearable.
 
More than ice cream, we were making memories.  Memories today that are as crisp and sharp as those shards of ice and as precious as that first taste of silky summer ice cream.
 
Today, I mostly make ice cream with a countertop electric ice cream maker.  But when I do, my thoughts turn back to those sunny times and my ears can still hear the sound of the cranking of that old wooden tub. 
 
I am blessed with summer memories.
 
This Toasted Coconut Ice Cream approaches the one my grandparents made.  It’s much less of a process than theirs was, but it’s so, so good nonetheless.
 
Make it with and for your family and friends.   You’ll make memories when you do.
Toasted Coconut Ice Cream

1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut, toasted and divided
2 cups heavy cream, divided
1/2 vanilla bean, split
1 1/2 cups coconut milk
1/2 cup coconut sugar
generous 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt
5 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons coconut extract

 
Spread the coconut in a cookie sheet.  Toast in a preheated 350 degree oven for 6-8 minutes.  Or, toast on the stovetop in a dry skillet over medium-high heat, stirring constantly until lightly browned.  Set aside to cool.
 
Warm 1 cup of the cream, the coconut milk, coconut sugar, extracts and salt in a medium saucepan.  Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the warming milk and add them and the pod to the milk.  Add in 1 cup of the toasted coconut.
 
Cover and remove from the heat.  Allow the milk mixture to sit for at least one hour before continuing.
 
Put the egg yolks in a bowl and whisk until well blended.  Set aside.
 
Strain the cooled coconut-milk mixture to remove the steeped coconut setting the coconut aside.  Add the remaining 1 cup of heavy cream to the infused milk and begin beating in the egg yolks with a whisk or immersion blender.
 
After blending in the egg yolks, I like to add back in about half of the infused coconut and use my immersion blender so that it is cut up well but still has tiny pieces remaining.  The remainder of the infused coconut can be frozen and used for another purpose (I use mine in oatmeal cookies or coconut scones.)
 
Pour the mixture into a covered container and refrigerate several hours, preferably overnight.  Whisk again prior to freezing.
 
Freeze according to manufacturer’s directions.  If desired, stir in 1/2 cup of the toasted coconut after freezing.  Place in the freezer and allow to ripen before serving.
 
It gets quite hard when left in the freezer for a period longer than a couple of hours.  If so, just set it out for a few minutes prior to serving.  It should be fine at that point.
 
Note:  If you prefer a much sweeter ice cream, use sweetened coconut and add an additional 1/2 cup of coconut or granulated sugar.

Toasted Coconut Ice Cream Balls
Otherwise known as “A Little Ice Cream Fun”
 
Scoop the firm, but somewhat softened ice cream into balls and roll in additional toasted coconut.  Return to the freezer to harden until shortly before serving.  Serve along side Grilled Pineapple with Pineapple-Rum Sauce, if desired.
Grilled Pineapple with Pineapple-Rum Sauce

1 pineapple, cut lengthwise into wedges leaving the leafy top.
1 cup dark brown sugar
12 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup water
2 teaspoons rum extract
(1/3 cup rum plus additional water may be substituted for the 1/2 cup water and extract)

Shave the core from the pineapple wedges.
 
In a small saucepan, put the brown sugar, butter, 1/2 cup water and rum extract.  Stir over medium-low heat until the sugar is completely dissolved.  Continue to cook and stir until the mixture easily coats the back of a spoon.  Remove from heat and allow to cool.
 
Brush some of the sauce over the pineapple wedges and grill in a stovetop grill pan until each side has nice grill marks and is tender.  It may be necessary to weight the wedges with a heavy skillet or saucepan. 
 
Alternatively, grill on an outdoor grill.
 
Serve alongside the Toasted Coconut Ice Cream Balls.  Drizzle some of the sauce on top of the ice cream balls and on the serving plate.
 
Adapted from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz, Lazy Days and Beach Blankets with Helen Ridge, Ed., Cook’s Illustrated: The New Best Recipe Edition, Lori Galvin, Ed., and my brain.
 
Linked to Arkansas Women Bloggers, Foodie Friday.