Home Plate

Even though the scorching sun of summer is here, I don’t mind it too much. At my house, we remedy that with icy watermelon slush, refreshing lemonade, and lots of ice cream—boy, don’t we like them all. As much as I love good old vanilla, I sometimes want to be transported back home—coconut flavor seem to quench that longing.

So get your ice cream maker ready. Here's how to make a rich, creamy coconut ice cream:



6 cups coconut milk (fresh or canned, preferably fresh)
1 ½ cup sugar
1 tbsp vanilla
1 pinch salt

Heat all ingredients together over medium-low heat in a saucepan. Stir constantly to prevent curdling. Remove from heat once bubbles appear along the edges of the pan and sugar has dissolved. Transfer to a refrigerator until it’s cold.

Place in an ice cream freezer and freeze according to manufacturer’s directions.

To serve: Sprinkle with toasted peanuts.

As you can imagine, fresh coconut milk will have better fragrance and flavor than the canned one. If you are feeling ambitious, I encourage you to try to make your own coconut milk. It’s easier nowadays because you can buy already grated frozen coconut at your Asian grocery store. Here's how:

Put thawed grated coconut meat in a large bowl. Add one cup of water to the coconut meat and use your hand to mix it around. Squeeze the milk out over a sieve—this is the first pressing which is your coconut cream. Repeat the process a couple of times. The milk will get thinner and clearer as you repeat the process. Stop when that happens. Refrigerate for up to two days until ready to use, or freeze for later use.
 
Naam Pruitt is a local food expert and author of lemongrass & limes, a Thai cookbook.