Ice Cream Week: Day Three

It's Day Three of Ice Cream Week here at the Fuzzykoala Cake Company, and I'm pleased to bring you another taste of the tropics: Toasted Coconut Ice Cream.  This is another recipe from Bruce Weinstein's The Ultimate Ice Cream Book, which I received from my sister as an early Christmas present in November :)  If you don't already own a copy, go out and buy one!  Not only is it filled with tons of great recipes, but each one has several variations and are smaller yield recipes--which means you can make lots of different flavors without taking up ALL your freezer space.  Believe me, you'll want to try them all!

Did you know you can toast small amounts of coconut in the microwave oven?  Just spread the coconut in a single layer on a plate and set your microwave for a few minutes...but DON'T walk away!  Watch it like a hawk, and when you start to see some golden brown developing, stop the microwave.  Give the coconut a good stir, then continue to heat.  Repeat the heat-stop-stir process until the coconut is as toasty as you'd like.  Easy!  And no heating up your oven for a small task!

Coconut Ice Cream (makes about 1½ quarts)
From The Ultimate Ice Cream Book by Bruce Weinstein

½ cup shredded sweetened coconut
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp. cornstarch
¼ tsp. salt
1 cup half-and-half
1½ cups unsweetened coconut milk
1 cup heavy cream
2 tsp. vanilla extract

 Preheat the oven to 400°F.  Spread the coconut on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.  Place in the hot oven for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the coconut turns a light brown.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool. 

In a medium mixing bowl, beat the sugar into the eggs until thickened and pale yellow.  Beat in the cornstarch and salt.  Set aside.

Combine the half-and-half with the coconut milk in a heavy medium saucepan.  Bring to a boil over medium heat.  Remove from the heat and slowly beat the hot liquid into the eggs and sugar.  Pour the entire mixture back into the pan and place over low heat.  Stir constantly with a whisk or wooden spoon until the custard thickens slightly.  Be careful not to let the mixture boil or the eggs will scramble.  Remove from the heat and pour the hot custard through a strainer into a large, clean bowl.  Allow the custard to cool slightly, then stir in the toasted coconut, cream, and vanilla.  Cover and refrigerate until cold or overnight.

Stir the chilled custard, then freeze in 1 or 2 batches in your ice cream machine according to the manufacturer's instructions.  When finished, the ice cream will be soft but ready to eat.  For firmer ice cream, transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze at least 2 hours.