I’ve never been a fan of pistachio.
It used to be the one and only ice cream I would avoid as a kid. I remember swearing I would never eat it.
Yet, all I can think about these days are pistachios. Tastes come and go.
My recent challenge was to make a dessert for lactose-intolerant friends, which can be tricky because French desserts mostly contain cream or milk.
A pistachio sorbet really did not sound very appealing to me – the thought of mixing water and pistachios just does not remind me of something that would be tasty.
But with the warm and muggy weather outside, I wanted to make something cold and summery.
And then I discovered that coconut milk is not considered a dairy product – meaning it’s lactose-free not being a milky product coming from animals.
I guess I never thought more about it and because of the word “milk”, I wrongly assumed that it was part of the dairy family.
But after some careful research and thanks to Dairy Free Living, I decided that coconut milk would be a good substitute for milk and cream in my ice cream-making process.
Aren’t the best recipe ideas the ones that begin by accident or when one cooks in uncharted territory?
This is exactly what happened for this coconut milk pistachio ice cream.
Hints of rum, vanilla and coconut, the light crunchiness of pistachios and the rich, creamy texture of coconut milk make for perfect round scoops.
Coconut Milk Pistachio Ice Cream
13.5 Fl oz (400 ml) of coconut milk – roughly 1.5 cup (I used a light coconut milk)
2 Tbsp of cornstarch
1/3 cup to 1/2 cup (65 to 95 g) of sugar – depending how sweet you like it
5 – 6.5 oz (170-180 g) of pistachios
1 teaspoon of lemon juice
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 Tbsp of rum
Heat half of the coconut milk with the cornstarch in a small sauce pan. Whisk continuously until reaching a boiling point. The cornstarch will help the coconut milk thickens. Remove from the heat and pour in a bowl. Add the rest of the coconut milk and keep in the fridge for at least 5 hours.
When cool, check to make sure the coconut milk does not contain any lumps. Whisk if necessary. Add the sugar. Whisk again. Add the lemon juice, vanilla and rum. Whisk continuously.
Let the coconut milk stand for a few minutes. In the meantime, grind the pistachios until you get a very fine powder. Add the pistachio powder to the coconut milk and mix well.
Pour the mixture in an ice cream maker and process until frozen depending on the machine and manufacturer. Put the ice cream in a container and freeze. Make the ice cream 1 day ahead if possible before serving.
great pics! That recipe sounds dee-lish…my chef husband might have to try that one!
Great blend of flavors and I really like how the pistachios are packed in the ice cream. No skimping on ingredients, thats one of the assets of homemade. Amazing looking frosty treat-yum!
Coconut and pistachio sounds like a dreamy combination to me, and I can’t get over how beautifully green it is without even a speck of food colouring (take that, Baskin-Robbins!).
I bet this would be perfect with a scoop of mango sorbet on the side.
Great pix, BTW. They make me long for a lazy day at a lakefront cottage.
Hmm mango sorbet! I’ve always had issues with making mango sorbet so I buy it!
Mango sorbet is what I crave the most and it’s one of the thing that I can’t master for some strange reason.
A dessert that captures the essence of the tropics and summer days. I’ve always loved pistachio and your ice-cream looks like it has a great texture to boot.
wow! i made this recipe sans (without!) a proper ice cream maker. i used the old put-it-in-the-freezer-and-stir-every-30-minutes method. it worked like a charm and was so yummy!!!
i also skipped the the part about leaving the coconut milk and cornstarch mixture in the fridge for 5 hours…my needs were far too immediate!
i was eating this delicious treat within 2.5 hours of the initial mixing process.
a great replacement (upgrade, even) for ice cream in the life of a vegan!
merci mille fois!
Thanks for the recipe. I tried it and it was fabulous!
Excellent! I am glad you liked it!