I’ve been interested in historical recipes almost as long as I’ve been interested in cooking. During COVID, I discovered the delightful YouTube channel Tasting History, from Max Miller. One week he talked about the brilliant Agnes Marshall, a Victorian cookbook author, inventor, entrepreneur, and “Queen of Ices,” and made her recipe for cucumber ice cream. So of course, I had to try my own version of it.
Cucumber Ice Cream is surprisingly delicious. I’ve kept the flavoring mostly the same as the original, but I’ve changed the base to coconut milk. As usual, I’ve used protein powder (whey in this case) to increase the protein and reduce the sugar, without sacrificing texture. For more details on how that works, click here.
For a copy of Agnes Marshall’s book, go here [affiliate link]. The Sumo ice cream container shown below is my favorite. Here’s a link to where to get it [affiliate link].
Ingredients
Instructions
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PREP THE CUCUMBER AND LEMON
Peel the cucumber and slice it lengthwise. Then remove the seeds by scraping them out with a spoon. Slice the cucumber. Juice a lemon. (It's 2 lemons in the picture, but you only need 1!)
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COOK THE CUCUMBER
Place the cucumber, sugar, salt, and 1 can of the coconut milk into a sauce pan. Set it over medium heat, bring it to a simmer, and simmer for 15 - 20 minutes, until the cucumber becomes very soft. Then turn off the heat.
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LET COOL
Let the cucumber mixture cool for at least 15 minutes.
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ADD REMAINING INGREDIENTS
Once the cucumber mixture has cooled almost to room temperature, add the remaining ingredients to the sauce pan. It helps to whisk them together first, before blending in the next step.
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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 fully combined and smooth.
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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.
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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.
Set up your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's directions. Pour your mixture into the ice cream maker and churn. In my machine the perfect churning time is 20 minutes, but your experience may vary.
The ice cream is 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:
- Ginger liqueur (which was in the historical recipe)
- Mint flavoring (try 1/4 to 1/2 tsp)
Suggested toppings:
- Fresh berries
Recommended equipment: (may include affiliate links)
- My ice cream maker (2 qt)
- Newer version of my ice cream maker (2 qt)
- Well-reviewed less expensive ice cream maker (1.5 qt)
- Insulated ice cream container
- Heat-proof spatula
- Immersion/hand blender
- Standard blender
- Ice cream scoop
- Measuring cups
Recommended ingredients: (may include affiliate links)