Day 29 - Coffee Ice Cream and Green Tea Ice Cream

Since the basic ice cream recipe calls for 6 oz of silken tofu, and the tofu comes in a 12 oz container, I thought I'd waste-not and knock out two flavors at the same time!

Coffee Ice Cream

I've made non-vegan coffee ice cream from a Martha Stewart recipe that is so decadent and so flavorful that it has never failed to elicit "best ever" accolades. Needless to say, it's a tough act to follow.

I wasn't sure how to handle the coffee part of this recipe. It calls for 4 oz of strong, cold espresso, or coffee extract, which I don't have. What I do have is instant espresso powder, but how much to use? The product suggests a heaping teaspoon per 3 oz of water, but that seems way too weak for this application. I consulted the Martha recipe, which calls for 4 tablespoons (!) of instant espresso powder (for a slightly greater total amount of ice cream). I decided to split the difference, and I dissolved about 2.5 tablespoons of powder in boiling water to total 4 oz.

Survey says? OK. Less luxurious than the peanut butter ice cream, for sure. I wonder if the missing 4 oz of soy milk replaced by water (espresso) contributes to the slightly thinner, icier quality here. 

Also, I think it needs even more coffee flavor! If I make this again, I will follow Martha's lead and use 4 tablespoons of powder in 2 tablespoons of water. And if that doesn't equal 4 ounces, I'll make up the difference in soy milk.

SFO: 8

(This is totally respectable, but not as convincing as the peanut butter. It's more like Thinny Thin. Does anyone remember Thinny Thin?)

Green Tea Ice Cream

I have an ex who loves green tea ice cream, the more earthy and bitter, the better, and he got me on board. So I was excited to try this. 

I found a little container of matcha powder at my local Asian supermarket and added a considerable 2 tablespoons to the ice cream mix. (FYI, that used up about 3/4 of my $11 container, so this ice cream's flavoring alone cost roughly $8!)

Survey says? Good. Also a little icy. As for the flavor, it takes a few seconds to kick in, but it eventually appears, and it's well-calibrated. (Is this a phenomenon of frozen food? Delayed flavor response?) 

I wonder if my first homemade vegan ice cream experience was elevated by the presence of peanut butter, bringing a higher fat content and smoothness with it. Today's ice creams are good (enough), but the consistency is less satisfying, I'm afraid. How are these going to perform in ice cream sandwiches? Stay tuned....

SFO: 8

(For the same reasons as the Coffee. Also, I wonder how many people out there enjoy this flavor....)