Monday, August 22, 2011

Lychee Ice Cream

One of my favourite fruits in creamy yumminess! You got to try this. Do not have any fresh lychees available? No problem, this delicious Lychee Ice Cream is made from the canned lychees, how about that for convenience? Another bonus is, there's no egg yolks used in this recipe. Even better!



This recipe is from an ice cream book "Scoop" by Ellen Brown. There are not many pictures in this book, but lots of delicious recipes that I can't wait to try. "Scoop" is all about the best flavour recipes from America's favourite ice cream shops. Lychee Ice Cream was adapted from Mitchell's San Francisco, CA. This is a great book to have if you are an ice cream lover, even if you've already own "Perfect Scoop" by David Lebovitz, as the recipes in "Scoop" are totally different with many delicious combination of flavours. 




There's no egg yolks in this ice cream, but contains some cornflour as a thickener. And there's no additional sugar, as the sweetness comes from the corn syrup and the syrup from the canned lychees. I got more than a quart of churned ice cream, and got to divide the cooled mixture (before churning) to churn it twice, as my ice cream maker can only churn a quart of ice cream at a time. The first churn took almost 45 minutes and it is still not getting any thicker, so I just went ahead to freeze it. I then freeze the churning bowl overnight and churned the second batch the next day.  The ice cream turns out  delicious, with delightful lychee flavour. Ellen Brown describes this as "light and luscious ice cream".  A definite keeper and will be repeated again and again!

Lychee Ice Cream
(adapted from "Scoop" by Ellen Brown)
2 (15-ounce) cans lychee fruit, drained with syrup reserved
1-1/4 cups heavy whipping cream
1/3 cup light corn syrup
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons corn starch
2 tablespoons nonfat dry milk powder
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Pour the reserved syrup from the lychee fruits into a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer the syrup until reduced by two-thirds.

Add the cream, corn syrup, and salt to the saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture begins to steam; watch it carefully and make sure it does not come to a boil.

While the mixture heats, combine the milk, cornstarch, milk powder, lemon juice, and vanilla extract in a small bowl, and stir until smooth and both of the powders have dissolved.

Add the cornstarch mixture to the pan, and bring to a boil over low heat. Whisk until smooth, and simmer the mixture for 2 minutes, or until thickened. If the mixture is lumpy, strain it through a sieve.

Look over the lychee fruits carefully to make sure that all traces of the pits and tough shells have been discarded. Puree the lychee fruits with 3/4 of the custard in a food processor fitted with the steel blade or in a blender. Stir the puree back into the saucepan.

Transfer the hot liquid to a storage container and press a sheet of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the mixture to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate the mixture uncovered until it is completely chilled (below 40F), or quick-cool it (refer **).

Freeze the mixture in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. Serve immediately for a soft ice cream, or transfer the mixture to an airtight storage container and freeze until hard. Allow the ice cream to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving if frozen solid.

 **
While the custard is heating, chill a metal mixing bowl in the freezer, and have a larger mixing bowl into which the chilled one will fit when the larger bowl is filled with ice. Then you're going to replicate the environment of an old-fashioned cranked ice cream maker by placing ice cubes and salt in the larger bowl, and stirring the custard in the smaller bowl set over the ice until it has chilled. You must be careful, however, as the ice melts, that you do not inadvertently get salty ice water into the custard.



30 comments:

  1. Wow I'm wishing to have just a spoonful of that delicious litchi ice-cream !! Don't have ice-cream maker :-(

    Deepa
    Hamaree Rasoi

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  2. Ooo that looks so creamy and delicious! I'd like two scoops, please! :)

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  3. I would love SEVERAL scoops of that right now as it is so hot and humid here............LOVELY looking ice cream!
    Karen

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  4. Wow! Amazing! Lychee- I am stunned at this right now and so want to have a bite! The pictures are awesome

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  5. Oooh! That looks amazing! I've only had lychee once, in a yummy martini. Guess I didn't realize it would make a super delicious and creamy ice cream too :)

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  6. This looks waay decadent!! I would love to taste it..great recipe and tempting pics!

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  7. This is awesome! I love you used the canned lychee that is available all year round. Very creative :)

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  8. A new combination for ice cream. Sounds interesting and I bet it is delicious.

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  9. Rich is their ice cream is very homely, no one who buys them and exposes them, yours is wonderful and refreshing,hugz.

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  10. As a Filipina, you know I'm drooling over this!

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  11. I have to be honest, I've never heard of lychee but this sure looks wonderful!

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  12. I'm always a big fan of all your ice cream recipes! This one is good as there is no egg yolk in this recipe.

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  13. love lychee a lot...missing it here in the US :-(

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  14. I read this book in the library and got to return it after. Attempted one of the recipe. very easy. Am going to kiv this one as I have a box of lychee soaking in liquer ready for me.

    Thanks for sharing.

    BTW, notice that you cook, perhaps if you have the time, do join me in this event.

    http://preciousmoments66.blogspot.com/2011/08/remember-heritage-food-trail-that-i.html

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  15. Joy, it has been so hot here, that would be a nice cooling treat!

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  16. love all your ice cream! lychee sounds like a nice flavour, not too rich and refreshing!

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  17. Is so creative of you to add such a refreshing fruit into ice-cream, I love lychee!!

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  18. Love your mouth-watering lychee ice-cream, and it is healthy too without egg yolks..

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  19. This looks really good, brava!

    Ciao
    Alessandra

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  20. Seriously ur icecream tempts me a lot, lovely creamy icecream pulling me to try soon..

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  21. this ice cream looks fabulous lovely site i am your 200th follower :)

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  22. You have some really great ice cream recipes here...love this lychee flavoured ice too.

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  23. woww... this looks super yummy .. i made chickoo icecream yesterday..
    den, you will get CMc and GMS powder in stationary shops... add this in any recipe when you make icecream, then it wont crystalize :)

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  24. Can I make a special request for fresh durian ice cream? Plz plz plzzzzz

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  25. Look delicious Kitchen Flavours! gloria

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  26. I've never had a lychee! If it's your favorite fruit, it must be good. I love fruit-flavored ice cream and this recipe sounds delicious.

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  27. Oh! I love lychee, especially the fresh ones, which are rare here...your ice cream sounds and looks fantastic...so creamy.
    Hope you are having a wonderful week :-)

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  28. I have never eaten lychees, fresh or canned, but this ice cream looks soooo yummy! A great excuse to try something new! :)

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  29. I have never tasted lychee ice cream.. so new to me.. like'y..

    Jabeen's Corner

    Ongoing Event-Iftar nights

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  30. Los lichis son muy ricos.
    Un saludito

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