Rose and Coconut Icecream (Vegan)

Making icecream without an icecream maker usually presents me with a challenge, one that I discussed in a post about sorbets. But making a vegan icecream presents another challenge. The lack of cream is the first obvious problem, with a few obvious solutions. I opted for basing my icecream on coconut instead, and flavouring it with rosewater as a suitable accompaniment. The second problem, though, is one of texture. Egg whites or yolks are generally used to make icecreams and sorbets smooth and light. Without them, I was floundering somewhat.

I suspected I could achieve the desired texture using gelatine, which is distinctly non-vegan (nor vegetarian, for that matter), so in theory agar-agar would work as well. Of course, I don't actually have agar-agar at home, and Canberra's various supermarkets and even health-food stores proved non-cooperative. So I tried to use cornflour instead, with some success.

Serves 6
Ingredients:

• 400 ml coconut cream
• 400 ml coconut milk
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp rosewater
• 2 tbsp cornflour
• 1/2 tbsp beetroot juice*
• 2 tbsp shredded coconut (optional)

Directions:

• Combine 2 Tbsp coconut milk with cornflour and mix until smooth. Add to a saucepan with remaining coconut milk, coconut cream and sugar. Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer.
• Stir mixture constantly until it thickens. Remove from heat and add rose water and shredded coconut (if using), stirring slowly as it cools.
• Stir in beetroot juice when lukewarm. Whisk until thick and smooth, then transfer to a sealed container and freeze.
• Remove from the freezer after two hours and stir, then return to freezer. Repeat every two hours until set.

* I had beetroot juice on hand since I was opening a can of beetroot for something else. If you don't have any on hand, use a few drops of red food colouring.