I read Yotam Ottolenghi's recipe for this online and decided to make it as soon as an occasion presented itself as it seemed like a really interesting idea. I then, of course, made some changes to the recipe based on substitutions for ingredients I had on hand and personal preferences such as pineapple rather than strawberry with coconut, and I think I may have improved on the original.
The ice cream would also be excellent with a thick rich chocolate sauce in the place of the fruit and brittle. This will be made again. If you omit the brittle, it is also a handy recipe to have for when you have a vegan dinner guest.
Ottolenghi's version of this is made the day before eating. I made mine the day of and the recipe reflects that. Making yours the day before will cut down on wasting oven heat and make for a harder ice cream.
1 can whole fat coconut milk
1/3 can Coco Lopez (in the supermarket section devoted to mixers)
1 1/2 cups shaved coconut (larger pieces than shredded)
1/2 can's worth of aquafaba (the liquid in your can of chickpeas)
1 star anise
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
2 Tbsps butter
1/2 tsp salt flakes, like Maldon salt
1/2 pineapple cored, and diced
2 limes, zest and juice
Measure the coconut milk, Coco Lopez, shaved coconut and vanilla into a small saucepan. Add the star anise. Heat over low heat, stirring from time to time, until the Coco Lopez has completely melted and tiny bubbles are appearing in the liquid along the side of the pan. Remove from the heat and set aside for an hour.
Preheat the oven to 400.
Pressing down on the solids, drain the coconut mixture into a bowl. Set the liquid aside. Discard the star anise. Spread the coconut in a thin layer on a parchment lined baking tray. Sprinkle with the salt flakes.
Turn off the oven. Put the baking tray with the coconut in the oven and leave to dry out with the residual heat while you make the rest of your recipe components. If making ahead, you can skip this step and let the coconut air-dry overnight.
Place your aquafaba in a stand mixer with the whisk attachment in place and allow the machine to run on high until the aquafaba is thick and frothy and looks like whipped meringue. As per Ottolenghi's suggestion, this took 8 minutes.
Gently fold the aquafaba into the coconut liquid and pour into a plastic wrap lined dish. I used a bread tin because I wanted rectangular portions of the ice cream for plating purposes. Make sure the ice cream is well covered; in addition to the overhang from the plastic wrap, I added a layer of foil as well before placing the pan in the freezer. Let this freeze for at least 8 hours before serving.
Once that is done, it is time to prepare your brittle. Remove the tray with the coconut from the oven. Toss lightly with your hands and spread back out into a single layer.
Preheat the oven to 350.
In a small pan over low heat, mix your sugar and water together until the sugar is melted. Reduce the heat to as low as you can and let cook, swirling the pan from time to time until the mixture has reduced and is a golden-brown caramel color. Remove from heat and drop in the butter. Swirl the pan to combine.
While the caramel is coloring, the oven should have reached 350. Place the baking tray in the oven and bake for 5 minutes, stirring at the half way mark so that the coconut pieces toast evenly.
Remove from the oven and, using a large spoon, push the pieces of coconut together into a square of about 8 x 8 inches.
As soon as the caramel is ready, pour it as evenly as possible over the square of coconut. Leave for 15 minutes to set before breaking it into bite sized pieces.
To assemble: place a portion of ice cream in each of your four serving bowls. Top with a quarter of the diced pineapple. Sprinkle liberally with lime zest and a quick squeeze of lime juice. Top with coconut brittle.
