I love coconut in any form and was craving toasted coconut ice cream. I think it was because I chose the salted caramel ice cream at the local ice cream shoppe recently instead of the coconut. I also wanted to avoid using coconut extract; even if it was pure. I went about toasting unsweetend coconut flakes and then infusing it in heavy cream. The coconut, however, absorbed half of the cream.
For the next test I doubled the amount of cream. After straining I ended up with the 2 cups of cream needed. But now I had two cups of soggy coconut that I didn’t want toss. Instead, I put it in a sieve, rinsed it and spread it on a sheet pan to dry in a 200 degree F oven. It worked like a charm. I’ll sprinkle it on yogurt, berries, fold into cookie dough, or use it in any number of other recipes.
You can skip the entire coconut process and just make vanilla; in which case only use 2 cups of cream. Either way the results are delicious.
2 cups (5 ounces) unsweetened cococut flakes, toasted
4 cups cold heavy cream, preferably organic (use 2 cups if skipping the coconut infusion)
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 vanilla bean, scraped
½ cup fruity extra virgin olive oil
Pre-heat oven to 375 degree F. Spread coconut flakes on a sheet pan and toast in the oven for about 10 minutes or until golden. While the coconut is toasting bring the cream to a simmer. As soon as the coconut is toasted pour it into the cream and remove from heat. Allow to cool, then place in the refrigerator overnight.
When ready to proceed; line a loaf pan with plastic wrap (not shown) and set aside. Strain, discarding the coconut or follow the head-notes for other options. The remaining cream should measure 2 cups. If not, top it off to equal two cups.
In the bowl of a stand mixer using the whisk attachment, beat cream on high speed until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes.
While the cream is whipping stir together condensed milk, vanilla, vanilla bean seeds, and olive oil in a large bowl. With a rubber spatula, gently fold one-third of the whipped cream into the condensed milk mixture and stir until combined. Fold in the remaining cream and pour into prepared loaf pan. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the freezer at least 6 hours or better yet overnight.