Andy's Vanilla Ice Cream Base Recipe

[andypdx]

Hello all,

In a past life, I posted my ice cream adventures on another board. Since then, I have perfected the recipe even further...

Before attempting to make ice cream, however, I'd highly recommend that you invest in an ICE CREAM MAKER. The one I have is the Cuisinart ICE-20. There exist other, cheaper alternatives, but from those I've used, this is the best. Some have even suggested using an ice cube tray to freeze the ice cream mixture, then dumping the cubes into a food processor or Champion, but if it's REAL ice cream texture you're after, go with the real ice cream maker.

OK, now that that's out of the way, here is my recipe...

VANILLA ICE CREAM BASE:

1 Cup cashews (no need to soak)
1 1/2 Cup water
1/3 Cup raw agave
1/4 tsp salt (+/-)
1/3 Cup raisins (This is the secret ingredient that imparts the rich/buttery flavor)
1 vanilla bean
1-2 Tbsp Cacao butter or Coconut oil or young coconut meat

Take all the above ingredients and blend in Vitamix for a couple of minutes...or at least until all the solids have blended away.

NOW, pour the mixture through a sprout bag. This will catch all of the tiny cashew/vanilla bean particles, and make the final product much more silky smooth.

Now, you have a perfectly good vanilla ice cream base, but who wants to eat plain ol' boring vanilla!? (JK, you vanilla lovers! )

At this point, I add any of the following to the base...

Carob (about 2 Tbsp)
Cocoa nibs (a small handful)
Raw cacao powder mixed with cocoa butter
Strawberries
Nuts
etc...

The exact quantity of each of the above ingredients will vary based on taste and the quality/moisture content of your ingredients, but I usually add anywhere from 1/4 to 1/2 cup total volume at this stage in the game.

Now, place the ice cream base and your flavorings back in the Vitamix, and blend just long enough to get everything mixed well.

At this point, it is best to 'pre-chill' the mixture. If you simply dump the mixture into the ice cream maker now, it won't set up properly, and it will be less firm than even soft serve. Place it in the fridge for a few hours, or if you've gotta gave that ice cream ASAP (trust me, I've been there!), put the mixture in the freezer for about 10-15 minutes. You want it to be cool, but not to the point where ice crystals are starting to form. (SPECIAL NOTE: do not use the ice cream maker 'bowl' to do the pre-cooling. The base will freeze to the bowl, and the batch will be ruined.)

When the mixture is sufficiently cool, pour it into the ice cream maker, and let it go! After about 20 minutes or so, it should be ready!

[Carmella]

I finally got around to try this, ice cream maker or not! I made 2 batches: a plain vanilla and a carob/cacao one. Both are totally outstanding in taste and texture.

A few notes...

~ I used less agave than Andy calls for and closer to 1/8 tsp salt.

~ I didn't feel up to passing the mixture through a sprout bag.

~ Andy was right about the raisins, they do give a delicious buttery flavor, however, they lend the ice cream a slightly darker shade than you'd expect for a vanilla ice cream.

~ As I don't own an ice cream maker (putting an early order for Santa right now, though!), I poured the mixture in ice cube trays. It did the trick. I could have blended the resulting cubes in the Vitamix but didn't bother.

I served this as part of a Banana Split. Divine!

[juusan]

so looking forward to trying this. I've had an ice cream maker for a while now, but rarely use it. I'd better get to it! maybe I'll try a mint cacao nib?

[carolg]

OMG. This recipe looks fattening, wonderful and gorgeous. What is the trick to staying slim eating this way? Inhaling vs. eating? Thanks for sharing. I just love each and every post. All is inspiring so don't quit as I'm not quitting either. No wonder I belong to a gym where I workout almost daily.

Actually I cut way back on nuts as got myself in too much trouble, so now the challenge: low calorie ice cream with less nuts. Just for the future as I am thinking less "nuts". I am drooling and have a few ice cream makers never used so...what's my excuse?

carolg

[juusan]

Originally Posted by juusan

so looking forward to trying this. I've had an ice cream maker for a while now, but rarely use it. I'd better get to it! maybe I'll try a mint cacao nib?

OMG @^#*&^$&*^#&*^$&*#^$ this was AMAZING! my omi/junkfood loving husband said it was amazing as well. excellent job andy!!

[renegadecd]

OH MY GOSH was this GOOOD! I love raw ice creams but was always a little annoyed with the underlying coconutty taste that the coconut recipes give. This one is great. I flavored mine with blackberries for delicious black rasberry and I was licking it off the stirrer of my ice cream maker.

After the straining process I used the flavored nut pulp to press into plastic lined ramekins. I don't have a dehydrator yet so I put them out in the sun to firm up. Then I put the ice cream on top of them and froze them. After de-molding, I topped with that delicious chocolate sauce I found on Carmella's blog (essentially agave, raw cacao powder and some coconut butter blended up). It a un-sinful treat. Thank you for this! I think I need to make another flavor tomorrow.

[RawVegan4Health]

This sounds absolutely incredible. Thanks for posting. This will come in very handy for any upcoming cravings!

[Carmella]

Renee! What an awesome idea for re-using the pulp. And the blackberry flavor... Oh my goodness!

Funny this post should pop up tonight as we just had banana splits again for dessert! lol

[renegadecd]

Ok, clearly I am participating in an ice cream making marathon. I was so thrilled with the blackberry flavor, I had to try more and experiment with some changes.

1. I used half macademia nuts and half cashews. Not sure if that makes much difference though I did find it more scoopable after being frozen. I find that homemade icecream usually freezes rock solid and needs to sit out for a few minutes before scooping.

2. I used golden raisins instead of regular so I could have vanilla the right color. Probably would be even better with light agave, but it looks to be the right color.

The plain vanilla tastes great but the texture isn't right, I think it was too watery, adding "stuff" seems to make the mixture the right consistency. Maybe next time I want vanilla I'll do a higher nut to water ratio to make it just a touch thicker.

The other flavor I did was chocolate and the mix tasted great, but I couldn't leave well enough alone so I added a dash of cinnamon and a sprinkle of cayenne pepper and WHAALA! Mexican chocolate. It is delicious. I used about a 1/3 cup of raw cacao powder.

I made myself a little sundae for dessert tonight. I used the scoopable vanilla cream from Raw Food Real World (the chocolate torte recipe) as whipped cream.

[lpgautogas]

Nice post...Greatly appreciated!!!

[jbinterpreter]

This recipe is to die for! Very yummy! Even my non-raw friends scarf it down.

I am currently on a restricted calorie diet, how do I figure out how many calories are in the whole batch?

[Eva]

Hey JB - fitday.com has an online calorie counter.

[wyjoz]

How to make your own Ice Cream Maker????


http://www.wisegeek.com/how-can-i-ma...coffee-can.htm





and another recipe:
http://cafegratitude.com/our-blog/ra...ice-cream.html

***don't use Agave remember??? joz

[evelynf]

wow all of those look great!

[sunrabbit]

I am dying to try this recipe, but I wonder how much it yields? I am trying to determine serving size, and how many this recipe serves. Thank you so much!