Vanilla Ice Cream 

with Haroset 

(Date Syrup & Ground Almonds)

This was the last of some homemade Vanilla Ice Cream, topped with leftover Haroset. Different kinds of Haroset are part of the Passover Seder, to symbolize and commemorate the mortar used by the Biblical slaves in ancient Egypt.

There are many different kinds of Haroset made, depending on the family and community. Unfortunately, I don't have a specific family recipe. So, I decided to find a simple recipe that would use ingredients I already have at home.

I found several versions online of Iraqi Haroset, using Date Syrup (Dibs al-Tamar/Silan) and ground nuts. Most of these versions used walnut or pecans, but some contained pistachios, and a couple used ground almonds. I was very pleased with this version, and just like plain Date Syrup, leftovers go well with ice cream.

Vanilla-Date Swirl Ice Cream

This is really light ice cream, as I made it with whole milk and not cream. (It also contains sugar and vanilla extract, as well as date syrup). After the vanilla ice cream was in the freezer for an hour, I took it out and tried to swirl in some date syrup. It didn't work quite as I'd planned; the ice cream wasn't frozen enough. However, the taste was just what I wanted. I almost think that date syrup on ice cream is better than chocolate syrup. 

Rizogalo 

(Greek Rice Pudding) 

Ice Cream

The Rizogalo recipe is courtesy Kouzounas Kitchen, and makes more than enough to freeze for later. Now, I really like rice puddings that have been frozen and then thawed in the fridge; maybe it makes them seem creamier? This time, I thought, why not try rice pudding as ice cream, and eat it while it's still frozen? It made for a very nice ice cream!

Kouzounas Kitchen Facebook 

Kouzounas Kitchen Website, Traditional Rizogalo Recipe (Greek Rice Pudding)

Kouzounas Kitchen Website, Rizogalo (Greek Rice Pudding) [vegan, with coconut milk]

Kouzounas Kitchen Website, Instant Pot Rizogalo Recipe

Vanilla-Chocolate Swirl Pudding & Ice Cream

Throwback: Let's stroll down Memory Lane, all the way back to ... April 2016.

I like to take homemade pudding, and put it in the freezer to make "ice cream." Some varieties of pudding work better for this than others. In this case, I made vanilla pudding (without egg), and wanted to turn it into Vanilla-Chocolate Chip Ice Cream. So, I added some chocolate chips to the cooling/still-very-warm pudding. When I went to mix them in, the chips, of course, melted, and turned into this swirl, on the left. The resulting "ice cream" is on the right. It was cold, sweet, and much like ice cream in some ways, so that was enough for me. 

Homemade Vanilla "Ice Cream" 

The "ice cream" is here highlighted by Sfuf cake crumbs. (For more on the Sfuf, a Lebanese cake, please see my recent post.) The "ice cream" actually contains no cream. It consists of whole milk, sugar, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt, all mixed together and put in a frozen-dessert machine. A sweet way to end the day! 

Mango Ice Cream 

(no ice-cream machine required)

This recipe is from Hot Thai Kitchen. Contains mango, honey, thick yogurt, and lemon juice, and I added a pinch of salt. Pai of Hot Thai Kitchen recommends Ataulfo mangos for this. I found that the champagne mangos at the store, are the same as (or a subset of) these, and used them. The honey and lemon juice gave this frozen treat, a very refreshing taste. 

Hot Thai Kitchen Website, Epic Mango Ice Cream in a Blender

Creamy Mango Sorbet

Creamy Mango Sorbet . . . Or maybe, Mango "Ice Cream" . . . Or could I even call it, Mango Kulfi? (Indian ice cream) I took some mango nectar from the store, and froze it in 4 cups. I also froze a cup of whole milk. A couple days ago, I took half the mango nectar and all the milk, and put them both together through a mini-Cuisinart, along with a pinch of salt and some homemade sugar syrup (to add some flavor and keep the end result from turning into a block of ice). I put this back in the freezer, and decided to try it today. It was mango-y, and a little creamy, and really good. I was pleased with the result of my experiment! 

Vanilla Muhalabiya (Pudding) Ice Cream with Pomegranate Syrup

The ice cream, which was a Middle Eastern pudding that I froze, wasn't photographing well by itself. (My camera has trouble with very light monocolor foods like this.) Since I'd eaten it a few times served with the syrup, I tried that approach of photographing it; this seemed to work better. For the syrup, I boiled some pomegranate juice with a simple syrup, and it was successful, if a bit too sweet. I must say, though, that it went very well with the ice cream! 

Chocolate Pudding Ice Cream

Throwback to this Chocolate Pudding Ice Cream. I guess it's really ice milk, strictly speaking, but as I can't eat cream, I'll take what I can get. It's ice cream-y enough for me, and nice to finish off the day with. 

Bhavna's Kitchen provided the pudding recipe, which I modified by using an equal amount of honey instead of butter. After the pudding cooled in the fridge, I just put it in the freezer. That seems to work better with chocolate pudding; still trying to perfect the technique for vanilla eggless pudding.

Bhavna's Kitchen Facebook

Bhavna's Kitchen YouTube, Quick Chocolate Pudding

Muhallabiyah, Vanilla Pudding (with some chocolate chips).

Based on recipe in Habeeb Salloum's Classic Vegetarian Cooking from the Middle East & North Africa. This is one of the few recipes I found for any kind of a vanilla pudding that didn't contain eggs. After it's cooled in the fridge a bit, I like to put most of it in the freezer, for a light "ice cream."

Chocolate Pudding Ice Cream

Chocolate pudding turned into light "ice cream." Recipe for the pudding was from Bhavna's Kitchen on YouTube. 

 I used an equal amount of honey instead of the butter, thinking of how Gemma Stafford used honey in her frozen yogurt recipe on YouTube. I also used an extra teaspoon of vanilla extract. After cooling the finished product to room temp and chilling in the fridge, I put it in the freezer. 

I may have to leave it on the counter for a few minutes or place in the microwave for 5 to10 seconds if it's really frozen, but otherwise, it's just a delicious light "ice cream."