Coriander (cilantro) ice cream with lime-coriander shortbread cookies

Hope you have the non-soapy OR6A2 variant.

My life, my love – this is my ode to coriander. Think about one of the chinese names for coriander – 香菜 (xiang cai). It literally translates to fragrant vegetable. Sometimes you just got to call something for what it is. Like the hammerhead shark. Or the yellow crazy ant.

I first head about coriander ice cream from Crazy Scoops, an ice cream shop in Singapore and I had to recreate it. Loads of my fellow Coriander Comrades were raving about it so I knew the flavour had to work as an ice cream flavour.

I decided to add a lime-coriander shortbread cookie mix in for some textural variation, and since lime and coriander are besties.

Honestly, the first spoonful of ice cream is an assault to the senses. But after the next few spoonfuls you kind of get used to it…yes…sweet creamy coriander…and then bam you’re deep in the coriander cult and you keep going back for more. The cookies definitely mellow out the coriander taste so add more of it if you’re SCARED.

Also, in case you were confused, I’m referring to coriander leaf (not seed) here. Also known as cilantro if you speak Freedom.

The recipes for the ice cream base and cookies were adapted from Salt and Straw’s Ice Cream Cookbook.

Ingredients (makes about 1.5 pints)

Ice cream base

• 1/2 cup sugar (100g)
• 2 tbsp dry milk powder (12g)
• 1/4 tsp xanthum gum (see notes)
• 2 tbsp light corn syrup (45g)
• 1 1/3 cup whole milk (315g)
• 1 1/3 cup heavy cream (300g)
• One big bunch of coriander (mine was about 100g, pick out a couple of stems to use in the shortbread cookie below)

Lime-coriander shortbread cookies

• 4 tbsp butter, cut into chunks (57g)
• 1/6 cup sugar (33g)
• 3/8 cup all-purpose flour (47g)
• 1/8 cup cornstarch (18g)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• Zest from one lime
• Leaves from a couple of stalks of coriander (I didn’t measure this, just go with your coriander spirit)

Method

Ice cream base (the day before churning the ice cream)

1. In a saucepan, mix together milk and corn syrup.
2. In a small bowl, combine the sugar, milk powder, and xanthum gum and mix well.
3. Add the sugar mixture into the saucepan containing the milk and whisk until smooth. Heat over medium heat, stirring often and adjusting the heat to prevent a simmer, until the sugar has fully dissolved (about 3 mins). Remove the pot from the heat and let milk cool to room temperature.
4. Meanwhile, remove the roots and any super thick stems from the coriander.
5. Combine the milk and coriander into a blender and blend until smooth.
6. Transfer the mixture to an airtight container. Add cream and stir to combine. Refrigerate at least 6h but ideally 24h.

Lime-coriander shortbread cookies (start the day before churning the ice cream)

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F/170°C. Line a sheet pan with baking paper.
2. Cream butter and sugar together until butter becomes lighter in colour.
3. Tear up coriander leaves into small pieces, discarding any stems. Add coriander leaves, flour, cornstarch, salt, and lime zest into the mixture and stir until mixture is just combined and slightly pebbly.
4. Dump the dough onto the lined sheet pan, and press together. Place another piece of baking paper on top and roll the cookie to about 1/4 inch thickness.
5. Bake until the shortbread is golden brown around the edges, around 25 minutes.
6. Let the shortbread cool to room temperature, then cut into small pieces (1/4-1/2 inch pieces). Store in the freezer until ready to use.

Assembly

1. Pour the ice cream base into an ice cream maker and turn on the machine, and churn until the mixture has the texture of soft-serve.
2. When the ice cream is ready, transfer a layer of ice cream into a freezer-friendly container. Add the cookie pieces, distributing evenly across the ice cream. Repeat with a layer of ice cream, then the cookies again. (If you use a wide and shallow container, like me, just do 2 layers of each).
3. Cover the ice cream with parchment paper (to prevent freezer burn), pressing it to the surface of the ice cream so it adheres, and cover with a lid.
4. Freeze the ice cream until solid.

Notes

• Xanthum gum is a thickener/stabiliser commonly used in vegan/gluten-free baking, so that’s where you might find it in the supermarket. Bob’s Red Mill brand is one of the more common brands.
• If you’re using an ice cream maker which bowl needs to be frozen beforehand, make sure to cover the bowl with clingfilm so ice crystals won’t form in the bowl and cause your ice cream to have a sandy texture. Also to be safe, freeze the bowl for at least 2 days and at the coldest setting your freezer will go.
• My ice cream maker takes about 20-30 minutes to reach soft-serve consistency.

Banana Snickerdoodle Ice Cream

This ice cream has a strong banana flavour, while maintaining perfect creaminess. This is achieved by steeping bananas in milk and cream overnight, and throwing away the flavourless banana pulp. That way you get maximum banana flavour without compromising the ice cream texture with actual banana.

And of course you got to add some crunch with bits of snickerdoodle cookies throughout the ice cream. Banana and cinnamon (and I threw in some five spice powder in too after raiding my mother’s spice pantry why not) is a great combination, and these cookies remain crunchy even after freezing. There’s extra cream of tartar and baking soda in these cookies, resulting in a puffier cookie so they don’t become super hard after freezing.

This ice cream was a big crowd pleaser, even winning over the cinnamon-hater (there’s always one). It is probably one of my top 3 favourite ice cream flavours that I’ve made (together with pistachio and blue cheese and pear).

The recipes for the ice cream base and cookies were from Salt and Straw’s Ice Cream Cookbook, and the method of steeping bananas in milk is from Stella Parks.

Ingredients

Ice cream base

• 1/2 cup sugar (100g)
• 2 tbsp dry milk powder (12g)
• 1/4 tsp xanthum gum (see notes)
• 2 tbsp light corn syrup (45g)
• 1 1/3 cup whole milk (315g) – might need a tiny bit more (about 10g) to top up any liquid absorbed by the bananas
• 1 1/3 cup heavy cream (300g) – might need a tiny bit more (about 10g) to top up any liquid absorbed by the bananas
• 4 large ripe bananas, thinly sliced (maybe about 330g-ish? idk I didn’t actually weigh my bananas)
• 1/4 tsp five-spice powder (optional, but really brings out the banana flavour)

Snickerdoodle cookies (will make more than you need but I didn’t feel comfortable reducing this recipe any futher)

• 4 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature (57g)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar (100g), plus 1.5 tbsp for rolling the cookies in
• 1/2 large egg (just weigh the contents of one cracked egg and divide by 2)
• 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (94g)
• 1 tsp cream of tartar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tbsp cinnamon

Method

Banana milk and cream

1. About 2 days before churning the ice cream: Combine the milk and sliced banana into a saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat, scraping along the bottom occasionally to prevent scorching. Once it comes to a simmer remove from heat, cover, and let cool to room temperature. Then refrigerate overnight.
2. The next day, bring the banana milk back to a simmer over medium heat, then strain to remove the banana pulp, pressing on the pulp to release extra liquid. (You can reserve the pulp to make a muffin or something).

Ice cream base (the day before churning the ice cream)

1. Weigh the banana milk and cream, and top up to 615g with a 1:1 mixture of milk and cream. Transfer to a saucepan and add corn syrup. Stir well.
2. In a small bowl, combine the sugar, milk powder, five spice powder, and xanthum gum and mix well.
3. Add the sugar mixture into the saucepan and whisk until smooth. Heat over medium heat, stirring often and adjusting the heat to prevent a simmer, until the sugar has fully dissolved (about 3 mins). Remove the pot from the heat.
4. Transfer the mixture to an airtight container and refrigerate (at least 6h but ideally 24h).

Snickerdoodle cookies (start the day before churning the ice cream)

1. In a large bowl, beat the butter and 1/2 cup sugar until light and fluffy, and a shade lighter.
2. Add the egg and mix until combined.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt to make sure there are no lumps.
4. Add the flour mixture to the butter and mix until flour is incorporated and you have a crumbly dough.
5. Press the dough together to form a disk, cling film, and refrigerate until chilled, at least 2h or ideally overnight.
6. When ready to bake, heat the oven to 375°F/190°C. Line a sheet pan with baking paper.
7. Mix the remaining 1.5 tbsp of sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl until thoroughly combined.
8. Roll the cold cookie dough into golf-ball-sized balls. Coat the cookie balls in the sugar-cinnamon mixture, and transfer to the prepared sheet pan, leaving about an inch between the cookies.
9. Bake in the preheated oven, rotating the sheet pan halfway through the baking time, until the cookies are golden around the edges and the tops crack, about 20 mins.
10. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely. Crumble the cookies to 1/4-1/2 inch pieces. The cookies can be stores in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 week.

Assembly

1. Pour the ice cream base into an ice cream maker and turn on the machine, and churn until the mixture has the texture of soft-serve.
2. When the ice cream is ready, transfer a layer of ice cream into a freezer-friendly container. Add the cookie pieces, distributing evenly across the ice cream. Repeat with a layer of ice cream, then the cookies again. (If you use a wide and shallow container, like me, just do 2 layers of each).
3. Cover the ice cream with parchment paper (to prevent freezer burn), pressing it to the surface of the ice cream so it adheres, and cover with a lid.
4. Freeze the ice cream until solid.

Notes

• Xanthum gum is a thickener/stabiliser commonly used in vegan/gluten-free baking, so that’s where you might find them in the supermarket. Bob’s Red Mill brand is one of the more common brands.
• If you’re using an ice cream maker which bowl needs to be frozen beforehand, make sure to cover the bowl with clingfilm so ice crystals won’t form in the bowl and cause your ice cream to have a sandy texture. Also to be safe, freeze the bowl for at least 2 days and at the coldest setting your freezer will go.
• My ice cream maker takes about 20-30 minutes to reach soft-serve consistency.

Caramelised White Chocolate and Strawberries Ice Cream

Strawberries and cream, but better.

It all starts with caramelising some white chocolate. I’m using white chocolate in the loosest sense here since I’m using Hershey’s white chocolate chips as per the recipe’s suggestion and those don’t actually contain cocoa butter. So the caramelising process is very different than if you use actual white chocolate. But I do think going the more artificial route lends this sense of nostalgia and the caramel flavours still comes through.

You also make your own “jam” by just roasting some strawberry slices down in their own juice.

Check out how caramel-like the white chocolate becomes.

Churning is so satisfying.

You then layer the ice cream with the strawberry jam so you get a bit of jam in every scoop.

The recipe is once again from Salt and Straw’s cookbook.

Ingredients

Ice cream base

• 1/2 cup sugar (100g)
• 2 tbsp dry milk powder (12g)
• 1/4 tsp xanthum gum (see notes)
• 2 tbsp light corn syrup (45g)
• 1 1/3 cup whole milk (315g)
• 1 1/3 cup heavy cream (300g)

Caramelised white chocolate

• 1 cup white chocolate chips or chopped white chocolate (doesn’t particularly have to be good quality, depends on what you’re going for. I just used Hershey’s for that artificial nostalgic flavour)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream (113g)
• 1 tbsp sugar (12g)
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla

Strawberry jam

• 2 cups ripe strawberries, hulled and cut into 1/8-1/4 inch slices
• 6 tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

Method

Ice cream base (the day before)

1. Combine the sugar, milk powder, and xanthum gum into a small bowl and mix well.
2. Pour the corn syrup and whole milk into a saucepan and stir well. Add the sugar mixture and whisk until smooth. Heat over medium heat, stirring often and adjusting the heat to prevent a simmer, until the sugar has fully dissolved (about 3 mins). Remove the pot from the heat.
3. Whisk in the cream and transfer the mixture to an airtight container and refrigerate.

Caramelised white chocolate (the day before)

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the white chocolate chips out into an even layer.
3. Bake for 5-8 mins, stirring occasionally to make sure the white chocolate caramelises evenly. Once it’s evenly browned to a dark gold, take out of oven.
4. Put the cream in a small saucepan and cook over medium-high heat until hot to touch, about 3 minutes.
5. Meanwhile in a heatproof bowl, whisk together the sugar and egg yolk.
6. Once the cream is hot, remove the saucepan from heat and add the caramelised white chocolate, salt, and vanilla.
7. Blend with a stick blender. If needed, you can put the saucepan back over medium heat to melt any white chocolate that didn’t melt.
8. Add the sugar-yolk mixture and blend to incorporate.
9. Cool to room temperature, then combine with the ice cream base and refrigerate until cold, preferably overnight. This will keep for up to 4 days.

Strawberry jam (the day before)

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C.
2. Meanwhile, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and add the sliced strawberries. Sprinkle the strawberries with the sugar and lemon juice, and toss everything together to make sure the strawberries are covered in sugar.
3. Spread the strawberry slices out to an even layer and let them sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes to allow the berries to macerate a bit.
4. After 15 minutes, give the strawberries a stir and arrange them to an even layer.
5. Bake for about 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until strawberries are very soft and juices are syrupy. Make sure the strawberries don’t caramelise at all.
6. Remove the baking sheet from the oven, and use the parchment paper to help transfer the strawberries and their juices to a heatproof bowl.
7. Use the back of a spoon to lightly mash the strawberries to make a chunky jam.
8. Let cool to room temperature, then transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate, preferably overnight. This can be stored in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Assembly

1. Pour the ice cream base into an ice cream maker and turn on the machine, and churn until the mixture has the texture of soft-serve.
2. When the ice cream is ready, transfer a layer of ice cream into a freezer-friendly container. Stir the jam with a fork to loosen, then add some strawberry jam, distributing evenly across the ice cream. Repeat with a layer of ice cream, then the jam again. (If you use a wide and shallow container, like me, just do 2 layers of each).
3. Cover the ice cream with parchment paper (I think this is to prevent freezer burn), pressing it to the surface of the ice cream so it adheres, and cover with a lid.
4. Freeze the ice cream until solid.

Notes

• Xanthum gum is a thickener/stabiliser commonly used in vegan/gluten-free baking, so that’s where you might find them in the supermarket. I got the Bob’s Red Mill brand.
• If you’re using an ice cream maker which bowl needs to be frozen beforehand, make sure to cover the bowl with clingfilm so ice crystals won’t form in the bowl and cause your ice cream to have a sandy texture. Also to be safe, freeze the bowl for at least 2 days and at the coldest setting your freezer will go.
• My ice cream maker takes about 20-30 minutes to reach soft-serve consistency.

Sweet Potato Ice Cream with Maple Marshmallow Fluff and Pecan Praline

Sweet potato casserole but make it ice cream.

It starts off with baking some canned sweet potatoes, canned because they’ve already been cooked enough to minimise their starchiness so the ice cream wouldn’t be too gummy.

A maple-scented marshmallow fluff is swirled throughout the ice cream – it tastes really distinct and strong on its own but honestly once it is swirled into the ice cream it just adds a subtle maple note throughout and you can’t really distinguish the fluff from the ice cream. Its main purpose is just aesthetics.

The pecan praline adds much-needed dimensionality in the form of crunch and saltiness and I would add more than I added if I made this ice cream next time (I’ve reflected this doubled praline amount in the recipe below).

The recipe is once again from Salt and Straw’s cookbook (last Thanksgiving I made their mashed potatoes and gravy ice cream).

Ingredients

Ice cream base

• 1/2 cup sugar (100g)
• 2 tbsp dry milk powder (12g)
• 1/4 tsp xanthum gum (see notes)
• 2 tbsp light corn syrup (45g)
• 1 1/3 cup whole milk (315g)
• 1 1/3 cup heavy cream (300g)

Sweet potato puree

• A 15oz can sweet potatoes in light syrup
• 1/3 cup lightly packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Brown sugar pecan praline

• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp lightly packed light brown sugar
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/8 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Maple marshmallow fluff

• 1 large egg white
• 1/6 tsp cream of tartar (if you can’t measure this out just approximate, it’s a weird amount because I scaled down the original recipe so I wouldn’t have any excess fluff)
• 33g sugar
• 30g light corn syrup
• 30g dark, robust maple syrup
• 15g water

Method

Ice cream base (the day before)

1. Combine the sugar, milk powder, and xanthum gum into a small bowl and mix well.
2. Pour the corn syrup and whole milk into a saucepan and stir well. Add the sugar mixture and whisk until smooth. Heat over medium heat, stirring often and adjusting the heat to prevent a simmer, until the sugar has fully dissolved (about 3 mins). Remove the pot from the heat.
3. Whisk in the cream and transfer the mixture to an airtight container and refrigerate. Meanwhile, prepare the sweet potato puree.

Sweet potato puree

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C. 
2. Pour the sweet potatoes and its syrup (add less syrup if you want your ice cream to be less sweet), into a baking dish.
3. Add the brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon, and stir until combined.
4. Cover the dish and bake in the preheated oven for 35 mins or until the sweet potatoes are super mushy. Coarsely mash the sweet potatoes.
5. Transfer 1 cup of the mashed sweet potatoes to a heatproof measuring cup. If you have any extra those can be stored in the freezer for up to 2 months (thaw and gently warm before using).
6. Let this reserved 1 cup of mashed sweet potatoes cool until it is just slightly warm, then blend together with the ice cream base until smooth.
7. Transfer this mixture to an airtight container and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 6 hours.

Brown sugar pecan praline

1. Line a sheet pan with baking paper.
2. In a saucepan, combine the milk, sugar, brown sugar, butter, and vanilla and stir well.
3. Set the saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring often, until the mixture registers 238°F/114°C on a candy thermometer (it’s ok if the mixture crystallizes).
4. When the right temperature is reached, stir in the chopped pecans so the pecans are completely coated. Keep stirring until the sugar begins to crystallize and become crumbly, about 20s more.
5. Remove the pan from the heat and let the mixture cool until it is as thick as warm caramel, about 5-10 mins.
6. Stir again, then scrape the mixture onto the prepared sheet pan, spreading it out to get the pecans in a more or less single layer. Let the praline cool to room temperature.
7. Remove the praline from the sheet pan and crumble to approximately 1/4 inch pieces. Put in an airtight container and freeze until cold.

Maple marshmallow fluff

1. In a stand mixer, beat the egg whites on medium-high speed until they’re foamy, about 2 mins. Add the cream of tartar and continue to beat until the whites reach soft peak. Reduce the mixer speed to the lowest setting and leave it on while you heat the sugar.
2. Mix the sugar, water, corn syrup, and maple syrup in a medium saucepan. Set the saucepan over medium-high heat and cook, stirring constantly until the syrup turns clear, about 2 minutes.
3. Stop stirring and keep cooking until the syrup registers 238°F/114°C on a candy thermometer. Immediately remove the pan from the heat.
4. Raise the mixer speed to medium-low and drizzle the hot sugar syrup into the egg whites in a thin, stead stream, aiming for the syrup to hit only the whites and not the bowl (if it hits the bowl it might start cooling down and forming hardened sugar that won’t mix with the whites).
5. Once all the syrup has been incorporated, raise the mixer speed to medium-high and whip the fluff until it is just warm to the touch and has a glossy sheen, about 2 minutes.
6. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate until cold.

Assembly

1. Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and turn on the machine, and churn until the mixture has the texture of soft-serve.
2. When the ice cream is ready, transfer a layer of ice cream into a freezer-friendly container. Then sprinkle on some praline, using a spoon to press them in gently. Then add a few generous spoonfuls of your marshmallow fluff, distributing evenly across the ice cream. Repeat with a layer of ice cream, then the praline, then the fluff. (If you use a wide and shallow container, like me, just do 2 layers of each).
3. Cover the ice cream with parchment paper (I think this is to prevent freezer burn), pressing it to the surface of the ice cream so it adheres, and cover with a lid.
4. Freeze the ice cream until solid.

Notes

• Xanthum gum is a thickener/stabiliser commonly used in vegan/gluten-free baking, so that’s where you might find them in the supermarket. I got the Bob’s Red Mill brand.
• If you’re using an ice cream maker which bowl needs to be frozen beforehand, make sure to cover the bowl with clingfilm so ice crystals won’t form in the bowl and cause your ice cream to have a sandy texture. Also to be safe, freeze the bowl for at least 2 days and at the coldest setting your freezer will go.
• My ice cream maker takes about 20-30 minutes to reach soft-serve consistency.

Mixed Berry Sherbet

Straddling the line between sorbet and ice cream.

This recipe uses a sorbet base but then adds a bit of fat (in other words…the definition of sherbet as I found out after a short google). Usually with sorbets the lack of fat helps the flavour really punch through, but then the flavour is gone really quickly. In this recipe the addition of a little bit of fat helps the flavour last a bit longer.

I’m kind of on the fence whether I’m into this hybrid situation though. Especially in this hot weather I think I was really seeking the refreshing nature of sorbet. The bit of fat in this recipe does its job of letting the berry flavour linger, but also it was just rich enough that I was rarely in the mood for it. In Singapore we would call this jelak, or that I was sick of eating it after a while. Maybe when the weather gets a bit cooler it would be this sherbet’s time to shine.

This ice cream is from the Salt and Straw cookbook.

Ingredients

Sorbet base

• 1 cup/200g sugar
• 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
• 1/4 cup/100g light corn syrup
• 1 1/4 cups water

Everything else that makes this a mixed berry sherbet

• 12 ounces/340g frozen mixed berries
• 1/2 cup boiling water
• 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Method

Sorbet base (the day before)

1. Stir together the sugar and xanthan gum in a small bowl.
2. In a saucepan, combine the water and the corn syrup.
3. Whisk in the sugar mixture.
4. Heat over medium heat, stirring often and adjusting the heat to prevent a simmer, until the sugar has fully dissolved (about 3 mins). Remove the pot from the heat and let cool completely.
5. Transfer the mixture to an airtight container and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 4 hours but preferably overnight.

Everything else

1. The day before, put the berries, boiling water, lemon juice, and salt into a blender and blend until as smooth as possible. Refrigerate (blender jar and all) until cold.
2. The next day, add the sorbet base and cream to the blender and briefly blend to combine.
3. Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and turn on the machine, and churn until the mixture has the texture of soft-serve.
4. Cover the ice cream with parchment paper (I think this is to prevent freezer burn), pressing it to the surface of the ice cream so it adheres, and cover with a lid.
5. Freeze the ice cream until solid, at least 6 hours. This will keep for up to 3 months.

Notes

• Xanthum gum is a thickener/stabiliser commonly used in vegan/gluten-free baking, so that’s where you might find them in the supermarket. I got the Bob’s Red Mill brand.
• If you’re using an ice cream maker which bowl needs to be frozen beforehand, make sure to cover the bowl with clingfilm so ice crystals won’t form in the bowl and cause your ice cream to have a sandy texture. Also to be safe, freeze the bowl for at least 2 days and at the coldest setting your freezer will go.
• My ice cream maker takes about 20-30 minutes to reach soft-serve consistency.