Danielle McCarthy
Food & Wine

Heathy spiced Christmas ice-cream

This is a raw, dairy-free, refined-sugar-free dessert that is simple to make and super-tasty. A good friend designed a version of this ice-cream many years ago and I’ve changed it over the years because I enjoy the addition of coconut cream and orange essence. It is the perfect end to the large Christmas meal that most people indulge in during end-of-year festivities, and is a refreshingly cool and spicy alternative to the traditional hot Christmas pudding — especially for those of us who live in warm climates. Enjoy!

Serves: 15–20

Ingredients:

For the fruit filling

For the ice-cream

Method:

1. To prepare the fruit filling, soak the sultanas or raisins, apricots and dates in the orange juice while you prepare the rest of the ice-cream.

2. To make the ice-cream, combine the cashew nuts, coconut cream, banana, vanilla, orange rind, cinnamon, mixed spice, nutmeg and salt in a blender, and blend until smooth. Add the fruit-and-juice mixture and pulse once or twice, quickly, to slightly break up the fruit but not completely.

3. Pour the whole mixture into a glass container that can hold 6 cups of liquid, and freeze.

4. Remove the ice-cream from the freezer about 15 minutes before you plan to serve the dessert to soften it slightly. Sprinkle each serve with a pinch of cinnamon.

Variation:

Add 1 cup chopped macadamia nuts or almonds to the mixture for a nutty version.

Extracted from Feed Your Brain: the Cookbook by Delia McCabe available from www.exislepublishing.com and wherever good books are sold. RRP $34.99. Image credit: Vanessa Russell.

Tags:
healthy, recipe, christmas, spiced, ice-cream