The folks at POM Wonderful very generously sent me some of their pomegranate juice to try out.
Pomegranate juice all by itself is great--and chock full of antioxidants--but I think it's at its best for use in recipes when it's been reduced to a thick syrup.
All you do is pour a cup of pomegranate juice in a small saucepan and set to a simmer until the volume is reduced to about 1/4 cup. (This is also an opportunity to infuse other flavors into the juice--peppercorns would be a beautiful addition if you're planning to use the syrup on, say, pork or chicken.)
I decided to use my syrup in a simple (and sugar free) ice cream recipe--and it's delicious! I've been sneaking spoonfuls every time I pass the fridge! This turned into more of a soft-serve consistency, which was a bit of a surprise but yummy nonetheless. (I'm not sure why it didn't get solid--any advice from you seasoned ice cream makers out there?)
In fact, the softness of this batch of ice cream led me to turn it into a yummy beverage. In the spirit of a brown cow*, I made a Pink Cow with my pomegranate ice cream and diet cola.
Pomegranate Ice Cream
makes about 1 quart
1 cup pomegranate juice reduced to 1/4 cup syrup
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 cup sugar or sugar substitute (I used Whey Low Type D granular)
2 cups heavy cream
Whisk juices and sugar together; combine with cream in ice cream maker and process according to manufacturer's directions. Transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze for at least two hours before eating. This makes a soft-serve consistency.
Pink Cow
Place about 1/2 cup pomegranate ice cream in the bottom of a glass. Top with cola of choice (I used diet Dr.Pepper, because I had it around) and enjoy.
*The original, 1960s-era definition of a brown cow is just vanilla ice cream topped by cola.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Pomegranate Ice Cream
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
15 comments:
Wow, looks delicious! The only times I have had homemade ice cream that really won't get past the soft serve consistency is when I have made versions with alcohol (Kahlua or Baileys)...has something to do with the alcohol changing the freezing point, I think. Maybe pomegranate juice has the same properties? Doesn't bug me at all since I love soft serve!
I love the idea of pomegranate ice cream! I don't make ice cream all that often, so can't help with the consistency issue :)
They were going to send me some pomegranate juice but then they found out they couldn't send it internationally :(
Making ice cream with it is very creative, I would probably have just drank it!
Normally when ice cream stays soft it's either alcohol, salt or a lot of sugar that's causing it. I wonder if the pomegranate juice has something to do with it or maybe the sugar substitute stops it freezing fully.
Thanks, Kathy, Sara and Sam.
Fortunately, my sugar substitute has worked in the past so I know that's not it. According to David Lebovitz, it's alcohol and sugar both that contribute to ice cream's scoopability/consistency.
Pomegranate juice itself is pretty high in natural sugar (which is exactly why I'm not just drinking it straight) and even more so when it's reduced--perhaps that's what's at the bottom of it!
oh wow! I LOVE pomegranate!! I bet that was delicious!!! Thanks for sharing such a great recipe!!
My pleasure, Carrie!
the ice cream's a great use for that pom wonderful, but i'm in love with your pink cow. fantastic!
I love your take on the brown (pink!) cow. I've made pomegranate ice cream from pomegranate syrup, but I think next time I will try reducing the juice as the syrup tastes quite artificial...
Thanks, Grace. The pink cow was my favorite, too.
Gastro--thanks for your comment. I agree completely that the pom syrup/molasses can have that funny taste. IMHO it's always better to start with fresh juice and DIY the reduction, not to mention I like doing it sans sugar. Is your pom ice cream recipe on your website? I'd love to try it, myself!
I love the colour of this ice cream. So pretty and pink.
Thanks, Dragon! There's just something about pink, isn't there?
I've seen so many great POM recipes on the blogs lately - can't wait to try it too!
Hi, Maris, thanks for commenting. I only tried the pom brand recently--the stuff I'd had before was an imported brand, and I must say the two have entirely different flavors.
Excellent article about pomegranate. Unlike any other superfood such as acai or noni, pomegranate is not hard to come by and it comes cheap too.
Thanks for your comment, Pomegranate. I agree--when in season, pomegranates are very reasonable for such a nutritional powerhouse!
Post a Comment