Dairy-Free Mexican-Spiced Chocolate Ice Cream

#dairyfree #glutenfree

This recipe is definitely a case of “don’t knock it ‘til you’ve tried it!” When we’re talking about Mexican spices, we’re not talking about the full range of traditional nacho or burrito spices…coriander and paprika can stay right where they are thank you very much. We’re talking about the kind that you may find in a Mexican hot chocolate (delicious by the way, in case you’ve never been treated to one!) or in chilli chocolate blocks that seem to be the rage by artisan producers right now. Think warming flavours of cinnamon and cacao, with a touch of cayenne pepper subtly blended with vanilla and honey. Yes, you read that right…cayenne pepper in ice-cream. Think cool, flavour-full ice cream with a touch of heat. This recipe is dairy-free and highly more-ish. Don’t say I didn’t warn you…

Ingredients:

1 vanilla bean

500 ml of coconut cream

100 ml of honey

¼ – ½ (depending on richness desired) cup of cacao powder

Pinch of cayenne pepper powder

1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder

5 free-range egg yolks (at room temperature)

Pinch of sea salt

½ cup of chopped dark chocolate

Directions:

1. Halve the vanilla pod lengthways & put it into a pan with the coconut cream & honey. Add the cacao, cinnamon, and pinch of cayenne. Bring to the boil, & stir until the honey is melted. Allow to stand for 5 minutes
2. Meanwhile, put the egg yolks into a blender & blend for 5 minutes, or until they go creamy. Add a small pinch of salt.
3. Bring the coconut cream mix back to the boil and pour it slowly on to the eggs, blending as you go. The cream needs to be hot & the eggs room temperature to make a custard of sorts, but not as thick as your usual custard.
4. Let the mixture cool to room temperature. Place into an ice-cream maker & freeze. If you don’t have an ice-cream maker (I don’t) then transfer it to a plastic container, with a lid.
5. Place it in the freezer for a couple of hours, or until it starts to solidify around the edges.
6. Remove from the freezer & beat it thoroughly with an electric beater. Repeat this one more time a few hours later. Add the chopped chocolate and let it freeze completely before scooping it out to serve.

Nutrition Bite: Cayenne pepper – Cayenne peppers are a type of chili pepper. Capsaicin, the active ingredient in cayenne peppers, is the ingredient that gives them their well-known medicinal properties. Cayenne pepper is said to help boost metabolism and can also help you to reduce your hunger. However, in this particular recipe…I don’t think that that will be the case!

Enjoy!