Pomegranate Ice Cream
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~ raw, vegan, gluten-free ~
Last week when Bob and I got home from running some errands, there was a beautiful gold gift bag sitting on our table in the front courtyard. Nothing puts a smile on my face like an unexpected gift. :)
When I peeked inside, there were four gorgeous pomegranates! My smile grew even larger because the sight of fresh fruit ALWAYS makes me happy! There was a sweet little card attached to the bag, but we didn’t recognize who it came from.
I left the pomegranates on the kitchen counter, just waiting for the right inspiration to come along. I wanted to create the perfect recipe for these gems. A few days passed while we tried to figure out who blessed us with this gift, but we just didn’t recognize the person’s name.
Then finally, as I was talking to a girlfriend on the phone, I shared the story with her, and she knew who it was and told me that it was a woman who lived a few houses down from us. This afternoon, in return we delivered a quart of raw pomegranate ice cream to share the blessing with her.
Pomegranates are like an exotic fruit to me. My goal, for the most part, was to keep it in the purest form. I wanted the delicate flavor to shine through in whatever I decided to make. Raw ice cream! Perfect! As I cut into the fruit, a ray of ruby-red flooded out and spilled out onto the countertop. OK, maybe it wasn’t that dramatic but let me have my fantasy here. haha
I decided to use a citrus juicer that is very delicate in pressing out the juice from the fruit and leaves the seeds behind. If you don’t have such a juicer, you could strain the juice to remove the seeds. I suppose a person could leave the seeds in, but I wanted the texture of the ice cream to be smooth. The color of the ice cream turned out to be a cross between pink and purple. You could add a little red beet juice to it if you wanted to but I found great beauty in it being all-natural.
My husband moans and groans when he eats this ice cream and mutters the words, “oh my god, oh my god.” Do you think he likes it? I do.
Ingredients:
Preparation:
- Place the cashews in a glass bowl, along with 4 cups of water.
- Soak for at least 2 hours. Read more about why (here).
- The soaking process will help reduce phytic acid, which will aid in digestion.
- The soaking also softens the cashews, so they blend nice and creamy.
- After the cashews are through soaking, drain, and rinse.
- In a high-speed blender, combine the cashews, coconut, pomegranate juice, sweetener, coconut butter, vanilla, and salt. Blend until nice and creamy.
- Due to the volume and the creamy texture that we are going after, it is important to use a high-powered blender. It could be too taxing on a lower-end model.
- Blend until the filling is creamy smooth. You shouldn’t detect any grit. If you do, keep blending.
- This process can take 2-4 minutes, depending on the strength of the blender. Keep your hand cupped around the base of the blender carafe to feel for warmth. If the batter is getting too warm. Stop the machine and let it cool. Then proceed once cooled.
- Place the blender carafe in the fridge or freezer for 1 hour.
- If chilled in the fridge it can stay there for up to 8 hours. But don’t leave it in the freezer for more than an hour or it will freeze solid.
- Once chilled pour the batter into the ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
- It is best to take the ice cream out of the freezer about 10 minutes ahead of time, so it can have a chance to soften.
- Eat within 1 month.
Freezing Suggestions for Ice Cream:
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Use an ice cream machine. Follow the manufactures directions.
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Freeze in popsicle molds or 3 oz Dixie cups with a popsicle stick inserted.
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Store the ice cream in the very back of the freezer, as far away from the door as possible. Every time you open your freezer door you let in warm air. Keeping ice cream way in the back and storing it beneath other frozen-sold items will help protect it from those steamy incursions.
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Ice cream is full of fat, and even when frozen, fat has a way of soaking up flavors from the air around it—including those in your freezer. To keep your ice cream from taking on the odors, use a container with a tight-fitting lid. For extra security, place a layer of plastic wrap between your ice cream and the lid.
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To soften in the refrigerator, transfer ice cream from the freezer to the refrigerator 20-30 minutes before using. Or let it stand at room temperature for 10-15 minutes.
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Wish to make your own raw ice cream, wonder what machine I might recommend, and more? Click (
here) to check out the Reference Library!
© AmieSue.com
Tags: Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Refined Sugar Free, Soy Free, Vegan
Hi Amie-Sue, what a marvelous recipe I simply love pomegranate, one exotic fruit that I can easily get my hands on :) yepee! You are some talented woman, you are Amie-Sue. I’m so intrigued and mesmerized by your recipes, photos, writing and yourself of course…makes me smile. :D I want to try this one I suppose I can use the store bought coconut milk/creamed coconut as a substitute here too?…oh my my kids will love this…I make banana ice cream sometimes but it nice to venture out making new ones up without the famous banana… ;) thanks!!!
Blessings
Vicky
Thank you Vicky, you are going to make a grown woman blush. :) Yes, you can use the canned coconut milk (recommend the full fat). Pomegranates are such a special treat. I hope your kiddos enjoy it, please keep me posted. Have a wonderful day. amie sue
Looks yummy!! I can’t find young coconut meat… Can I replace it with something??
Bella, you could use maybe 1 more cup of cashews or perhaps if your not worried about it being 100% raw, you could use the cream layer that is in canned full fat coconut milk. If that interests you let me know and I can instruct you about that. Have a great evening, amie sue
I think I can try with coconut milk, I would be really grateful for some instructions of how I should do with the coconut milk.
Thanks from Bella!!
Ok Bella, to use canned coconut milk use the full fat. This is what helps to give the creamier mouth-feel. The can say to shake well, but don’t do that.
Refrigerated a couple cans of high-fat coconut milk for about 30 to overnight minutes. When ready to use, gently flip the can over and open. Pour the liquid into a glass and save. You will be using the really thick portion of the can to replace the fresh coconut. It may take 2-3 cans, depending on the brand. I like to use (when I do), the brand – Native Forest as it’s BPA-free, but any brand of full-fat coconut milk should work.
Add the coconut cream to the recipe and continue as the recipe instructs. I hope this helps. It is always best to use fresh Young Thia coconuts, but I know it can be challenging to find them. Good luck and let me know if you try it. Blessings, amie sue