Thai Style Coconut Milk Gelato Food

COCONUT ICE CREAM/GELATO

Steps:

• Combine everything except the flaked coconut.
• Put in ice cream maker and prepare according to manufacturer's instructions.
• Add flakes 5 minutes before ice cream is ready, if desired.
• Note: This recipe could either be made up as ice cream or a gelato. If you use whole milk, you will get ice cream. If you exchange the heavy cream for whole milk (so the entire recipe uses 2 1/2 cups of milk), you have gelato. If you use a low-fat milk with the heavy cream, you get something in between.

COCONUT GELATO

Steps:

• Pour the milk and coconut milk into a saucepan and bring it to a light simmer. While it is heating up, whisk the egg yolks and sugar by HAND till its satiny and thick.
• Once the milks start to simmer, turn off the heat and whisk 1/2 of the mix into the egg yolks. Return the egg yolks to the sauce pan and turn on the heat. MAKE SURE THE HEAT IS VERY VERY low, as you do NOT want the mix to curdle.
• Whisk for about 5 minutes or till it thickens and can coat the back of a spoon.
• Take off the heat and strain the mix into a large bowl.
• Whisk the salt it and let it cool, then cover it with plastic wrap and put it into the refrigerator overnight.
• 10 minutes before processing it in your ice cream maker, put the mix into the freezer along with the dasher. (This SHOCKS the mix so that not too much air gets mixed into it in the ice cream maker). Do not leave it in the freezer for more than 10 minutes.
• Process according to your ice cream maker.

COCONUT GELATO

Steps:

• Puncture the eyes of the coconut with a nail, and drain the water into a small saucepan. Using a hammer, crack open coconut. Remove the outer shell and dark-brown skin; discard. Grate flesh.
• Cook coconut water over low heat until reduced to syrup consistency, about 20 minutes. Set aside. In a large saucepan, combine milk and grated coconut. Bring to a gentle boil, cover, and remove pan from heat. Let steep 1 hour. Pass mixture through a cheesecloth-lined sieve, pressing very hard on solids. Reserve strained milk, and discard solids.
• Combine egg yolks and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Cream at medium-high speed until very thick and pale yellow, 3 to 5 minutes. Return milk to a simmer.
• Add half of the warm milk to egg-yolk mixture, and whisk until blended. Return new mixture to saucepan with remaining milk. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.
• Have ready an ice-water bath. Remove saucepan from heat, and immediately stir in heavy cream. Pass mixture through a sieve set over a medium bowl. Place bowl in ice-water bath, and chill. Add reduced coconut water and cream of coconut. Freeze in an ice-cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. Add sweetened coconut flakes, and mix in machine until combined, about 30 seconds. Store in an airtight plastic container up to 2 weeks.