The base is made of cashews. It provides just the right richness and as a sweet fairly neutral flavour when raw. I soak them overnight and drain.
A liquid, I used Coconut Dream, is added to the cashews.
Then blended until it resembles heavy cream and no lumps are left.
More Coconut Dream gets added in a pot along with a neutral tasting vegetable oil.
Corn starch.
Mixed with a little water and into the pot. Cook on medium high until the starch is activated and the mixture thickens.
To cool it down quicker, I transferred the cream base into wider container.
In goes the cashew cream.
Then sugar syrup for sweetness. (1:1 sugar to water)
A little vanilla extract. I make mine by drowning vanilla beans in vodka.
Vanilla-y goodness!
The insides get scraped out
and mixed into the cashew cream base.
Once cooled, everything gets put into a blender and while it's whirling vigorously, two different types of gums are added. They aid in texture/scoopability when frozen and mouth-feel. First, guar gum.
Then xanthan gum. A little goes a long way and the mixture thickens up even more at this point! Oh, and a little pinch of salt gets added too.
Lastly, a little vodka. Totally optional, but it helps to prevent large ice crystals from forming.
While the ice cream maker is turned on, the base gets poured in.
Little by little, the gelato base gets frozen and scraped away from the sides.
10 minute mark.
15 minutes
Labels, because things without names get lost and forgotten (especially in the freezer)!
Almost 20 minutes of churning. Go, go, go!
The once liquid mixture now has some volume to it.
See? Almost done!
I like mushing it around while it churns to check consistency.
Good stretch!
Looking good, 3 more minutes.
At the 23 minute mark- it's done.
Get the caramel ready.
A lot of this and a lot of that...
Swirl, swirl, swirl.
Then into little containers. I think these plastic ones hold about 500ml (2 cups).
I was about to fill two containers to the top.
Finished with a lid and label, voila.
These are the bits I get to dig at. Mmmmyum.
Tank wanting her cut of the goods.
Crusty nose, she has a little cold.
I ate mine topped with a little coconut whipped cream. It was goooooood.
While this batch has been long gone, it was delicious and was just sweet enough. Rich liked putting it in his protein shakes (uhhh, more like milkshake), while I liked it sandwiched between two chocolate chip cookies or on top of a cone. I can't stop making frozen treats! I love my ice cream machine.
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IngredientsCashew Cream1/3C Raw Cashews, soaked overnight, drained1/2C Non-dairy milk>>Blend until smoothGelato Base2.5C Non-dairy milk1/3C Oil (veg, neutral, liquid- not coconut butter)1.5Tb Corn starch + 3Tb Water, stirred>>Combine and cook on medium high until thickened, whisking constantly>>Remove from stove, transfer to a larger container for faster cooling time (optional)>>Pour in Cashew Cream,1/2C-3/4C Sugar Syrup to taste1ts Vanilla extractThe innards of 1 Vanilla bean>>Allow to cool completely, refrigerate for a few hours if possible>>Pour gelato cream base into a blender, turn on and add1/4ts Guar gum1/4ts Xanthan gum2TB Vodka (optional)>>Churn in your ice cream machine, following your manufacturer's instructions.>>Once the gelato is finished churning, swirl in1/3C - 1/2C Chocolate frosting/sauce/ganache1/3C Caramel sauce (I winged mine, but this recipe is similar)>>Eat immediately for a soft serve consistency or put into containers and freeze (4+ hours) for scoops.
Note: Depending on your freezer temperature and/or if you added alcohol, you may need to warm the gelato up before scooping. Do this by putting it in the fridge for 10-15 minutes prior to eating or microwaving it for 15-20 seconds.