WEEK 17 WILDCARD WINNER
Toasted Coconut Gelato
Photography by Sarah Shatz
BY NICOLECLANG | SERVES 4 TO 6
A&M: Coconut ice creams are often too rich and too sweet—not this one! NicoleCLang’s toasted coconut gelato hits all the right notes, with layers of fresh and toasted coconut, the freckling of vanilla bean, and a milk custard that keeps it all nimble. We love her backstory, too: “When I was young I loved the texture of the coconut chocolates sold at the Fannie Mae kiosks in the local mall. The coconut was very finely cut and all throughout the chocolate. The texture was sublime. I wanted to re-create that sensation in an ice cream that was as rich as I remembered that confection to be.”
2 cups unsweetened dessicated coconut
1 cup sugar
4 egg yolks
2 cups whole milk
1 vanilla bean, split down the middle
- Heat the oven to 350°F. Spread 1 cup of the coconut on a baking sheet and toast it in the oven for 5 to 10 minutes, or until golden, stirring 2 or 3 times to get it evenly browned.
- In a bowl, combine the sugar and egg yolks; stir until incorporated.
- In a medium saucepan, heat the milk and vanilla bean over medium heat until scalded. Whisk a little of the hot milk into the sugar-egg mixture, then whisk the eggs back into the rest of the hot milk. Add the remaining 1 cup coconut (not toasted) and continue to cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat (if custards make you nervous, take the pan on and off the heat so you don’t end up with scrambled eggs). When the mixture is thick and glossy and coats the back of a spoon, remove from the heat and cool. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight if you can.
- When you are ready to freeze the mixture, strain out the vanilla bean and coconut and discard. Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer’s instructions. When it reaches the consistency of soft serve, add the toasted coconut. Put into a container and freeze until ready to eat.
TIPS AND TECHNIQUES
NicoleCLang: “In order for it to be the right texture, you have to use unsweetened dessicated coconut. Leaving the untoasted coconut in the base overnight really intensifies the coconut flavor.”
ABOUT THE COOK
Nicole Lang lives in Richmond, Virginia, and writes three different blogs: Food Punk (www.foodpunk.wordpress.com); Tentacles (nicolelang.blogspot.com); and Dessert of the Month Club (dessertofthemonthclubblogspot.com).
Her favorite recipe from a cookbook: “The stuffed mushroom recipe from Joy of Cooking. It’s what got me into food as a child.”
WHAT THE COMMUNITY SAID
nannydeb: “I made this for myself for my birthday and it was delish! Of course, everyone else (even those who said that they didn’t like coconut) gobbled it up. I’ll make this one again!”