Lemon, Rosemary, and Olive Oil Ice Cream (coconut milk and tofu base)
I like experimenting with savory flavors in ice cream. Lemon, rosemary, and olive oil already love each other, whether they’re in roasted chicken, vegetables, pasta, or a scented candle. Why not ice cream?
This ice cream is all about bright, fresh spring flavors. Lemon and rosemary obviously fit that picture, but the grassy notes in the olive oil contribute too. I use honey for part of the sweetener, since it plays so well with the other flavors while adding richness and complexity. Using the juice and zest of the lemon ensures that the lemon takes center stage.
I’ve used protein powder (egg white powder in this case) to increase the protein and reduce the sugar, without sacrificing texture. For more details on how that works, click here.
Try this flavor as a light dessert after an Italian dinner, maybe on top of a polenta-olive oil cake. I haven’t made them yet, but I’ve got my eye on this Olive Oil Cake from Bon Appetit and David Lebovitz’s Polenta Cake with Olive Oil and Rosemary via Food 52. You could lean in to the fruit theme and get some strawberry shortcake cups, put the ice cream on top, and then top that with berries or jam and whipped cream. On the other hand, you could contrast the bright, citrusy ice cream with a rich chocolate brownie or chocolate syrup. (Once I put Magic Shell on it. No regrets!) Serve it with graham crackers and you’ve got lemon pie, but it’s ice cream. Elegant and sophisticated, or casual comfort food — it’s surprisingly versatile. You can’t go wrong.
Lemon, Rosemary, and Olive Oil Ice Cream (coconut milk and tofu base)
This recipe calls for egg white protein, which doesn't affect the flavor, but does give the ice cream a dense, silky, gelato-style texture. Other protein powders (unsweetened, unflavored) will work too. Check the notes below for advice on making substitutions.
The base uses coconut milk and silken tofu, which lowers the fat content compared with a pure coconut milk base. But we need to add some fat back in for texture purposes, so I've chosen olive oil as a healthy fat and a complementary flavor.
Makes ~1 quart
Ingredients
Instructions
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STEEP THE ROSEMARY
In a large sauce pan on the stove, whisk together the coconut milk, tofu, sugar, honey, salt, and pepper, using your whisk to break up the tofu. Add the sprigs of rosemary. Over medium heat, bring the mixture to a low simmer. Then turn off the heat, and let it sit for 10 minutes.
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ADD REMAINING INGREDIENTS
After the rosemary has steeped for 10 minutes, remove it from the pan and discard it. If some leaves fall off in the pan, that's fine. It's nice to have specs of fresh rosemary in the final product.
Whisk in the egg white powder, olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, and xanthan gum. Don't worry if it's lumpy, because we're about to...
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BLEND
Blend in the sauce pan with an immersion blender or transfer to a standard blender and blend thoroughly, scraping down the sides with a spatula, until you can no longer see white specks of tofu. This might take a couple of minutes!
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CHILL
Transfer to a container and chill in the refrigerator for 8 hours or overnight.
For a quicker chilling time, place the bowl containing your mixture in an ice bath (a larger bowl containing ice water) for a few hours. Stir the mixture occasionally. As the water in the ice bath warms up, pour off some water and add ice to keep the mixture chilling as quickly as possible.
Ideally, the mixture will be about 40 degrees when you churn it. When your mixture is fully chilled, it will be thick, but pourable (and taste like lemon pie filling!).
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CHURN
Before you start churning, set up everything you'll need to quickly transfer the ice cream from the machine into a container for freezing. I use a knife to scrape down the dasher (or paddle) and a wooden spoon to scoop out the ice cream. When you are ready to churn, ideally your base will be about 40 degrees.
Set up your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's directions. Pour your mixture into the ice cream maker and churn. Because this mixture is thicker than many ice cream bases, it churns more quickly than most. In my machine the perfect churning time is 9 minutes, but your experience may vary.
It's finished churning when it looks like soft-serve and is pulling away from the sides of the canister.
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STORE
When the ice cream has finished churning, scoop it as quickly as possible into your storage container. Cover it with plastic wrap or parchment paper, if using. (Placing a sheet of parchment paper between the container and lid will help prevent frost, or you can press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the ice cream.) Put the container in the freezer. The ice cream will be fully firm in a few hours.
Note
You can use any unflavored, unsweetened protein powder you want. Whey, collagen, and egg white work the best. Vegan protein powders can work too, but sometimes create a chalky texture. Because different protein powders have different textures, the same volume of different powders may weigh different amounts. Weighing is the best method for ensuring you get the 65 grams the recipe calls for, but here are some estimates for using a cup measurement:
- 65 g collagen powder = 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons
- 65 g whey protein = 1 scant cup
- 65 g egg white protein = 3/4 cup
- 65 g soy protein = 1 cup
- 65 g pea protein = 3/4 cup
Optional additions:
- 1-2 tablespoons of alcohol -- Adding alcohol improves the texture and scoopability of the final product and gives a little kick of extra flavor. Limoncello, gin, vodka, or a sauvignon blanc wine would all be good choices.
Suggested toppings:
- Sliced, toasted almonds (particularly if serving with an almond/olive oil/polenta cake)
- Strawberry or blueberry jam or fresh berries (lean in to the fruit theme!)
- Chocolate sauce (surprisingly tasty)
- Graham crackers and whipped cream (for a frozen lemon pie experience)