Have you ever heard of the quick soft serve ice cream technique, where you freeze coconut milk in ice cube trays and then blend the cubes with fruit, sweetener, etc. into into a perfectly spoonable frozen treat? It’s been on my radar for a while, but I have an ice cream maker, which I’m very faithful to, so I’ve been slow to warm up to the idea. I finally gave the whole thing a shot recently, and now I see what the big deal is about. This is entirely different from the typical ice-cream making experience. When I set out to make ice cream, I know that it will be a process, and I’m quite fond of the little bit of fuss that it takes. This soft serve is its own thing – delightfully quick and easy and with little fuss to speak of, especially if you already have the coconut ice cubes ready to go.
The rhubarb component is a breeze to put together as well. You just stew the rhubarb with maple syrup until jammy, spread it out onto some parchment paper in a thin layer, and let it freeze before blending it with the frozen coconut milk. All the freezing can be done the night before or in the morning/afternoon to have it ready for dessert time in the evening. It’s all perfectly lazy :)
There’s so much you can do as far as the flavorings go with this sort of technique, but this particular combination is so so lovely. The slight sourness of the rhubarb is softened by the fattiness of the coconut milk, and the kiss of maple syrup rounds everything out into a mind-blowing treat. And the color! Visual color therapy right there.
There are some great links below, have a nice Sunday!
Leo Babauta (of Zen Habits) on the Rich Roll Podcast
43 Self-Care Practices for the Highly Sensitive Person – we both happen to be highly sensitive people, so Renee’s post really resonated with us. So many great tips there.
The Other Mr. President (This American Life) – what it’s really like to live in Putin’s Russia. While I feel like Russians are constantly misrepresented in the American media, this was a refreshingly multifaceted view at the complexity of our home country.
#Vanlife – ‘what began as an attempt at a simpler life quickly became a life-style brand’
Seeded Gluten Free Sourdough Bread – thinking about resurrecting my sourdough baking habit, can’t wait to try out this gluten-free recipe.
Green Kitchen at Home – excited for this book, loved the book trailer too.
- 1 13.5 oz can full fat coconut milk
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons maple syrup, divided
- about 3 cups chopped rhubarb (1" pieces)
- splash of vanilla extract
- poppy seeds - for garnish (optional)
- In a blender, combine the coconut milk with 2 tablespoons maple syrup. Pour the coconut milk into an ice cube tray and freeze for a few hours or overnight.
- In a medium saucepan, combine the rhubarb with ¼ cup maple syrup and a splash of vanilla extract. Bring to a boil over medium hight heat, then lower the heat and simmer for 7-10 minutes, until rhubarb is soft and jammy.
- Spread the stewed rhubarb on a parchment paper-covered baking sheet in a thin layer and place in the freezer for a few hours or overnight, until completely frozen.
- Put the coconut ice cubes in the blender and blend on high until just broken down. Remove the frozen rhubarb from the freezer, peel away the baking sheet and break the rhubarb into manageable pieces, then put in the blender with the coconut milk. Blend everything on high to achieve a soft serve consistency. You might have to stop and scrape the walls of the blender periodically, or if you have a Vitamix, the tamper is really helpful here.
- Enjoy right away, garnished with poppy seeds, if using. If you have leftovers, they will freeze into a solid block in the freezer because this ice cream hasn't been properly aerated. My suggestion is to freeze the leftovers in an ice cube tray and re-blend into soft serve once ready to eat again. Enjoy!
Allyson says
I love rhubarb, I love ice cream, and I don’t have an ice cream maker. This could have been written just for me- I can’t wait make this. And while not a very smooth transition, I will second the This American Life episode- it was fascinating.
Anya says
Hi Allyson,
I hope you get to give it a try! Seems like it’s fate :) Happy you liked that episode, too.
Leo Sigh says
This looks amazing.
I’m a huge rhubarb fan, but never know what to do with it except make pies (delicious with ice cream but can’t eat them every day :) ), so this is a very nice looking additional thing.
Will definitely be trying it as it looks so easy.
Anya says
Thank you so much for your note! Hope you enjoy it :)
Halley says
This looks so great! Can’t wait to try this out and report back. What are some other flavor combinations you’ve been considering?
Anya says
Hi Halley,
You can add pretty much any frozen/fresh fruit or berries here, maybe even along with some herbs (basil, mint, lemon thyme, maybe even rosemary). If you have fresh fruit, stew it with maple syrup and freeze according to the recipe. If you have frozen fruit, you can just increase the amount of maple syrup in the coconut milk mixture, and add the frozen fruit directly to the blender, that way you won’t have to defrost and stew. You could also go the chocolate and almond/peanut butter route, or salted caramel. The possibilities are endless :) We’ll definitely be expanding on this theme and posting more soft serve recipes this summer!