March is Jamaica’s much beloved tamarind season. You’ll notice plenty of tangy homemade tamarind balls being eaten by children and adults, and we at Mille Fleurs crank up the ice-cream maker for our beloved tamarind –ice-cream.
Tamarind arrived on the island with the indentured Indian labourers and beyond sweeties this succulent sour fruit is most commonly used in Jamaica as a tart drink known as Tamarind Fizz which actually helps reduce cholesterol!
Tamarind & Chili Ice-Cream
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The base of this ice cream recipe is adapted from American artisan ice cream maker Jeni Britton Bauer. We put a fun twist on it by combining spicy and sour elements—you get the distinct flavor of tamarind first, then the heat suddenly hits you at the end.
Author: Barbara Walker
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: Jamaican
Serves: 1 Quart
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Cornstarch
- 2 cups Milk, divided
- 1¼ cups Whipping Cream
- ⅔ cup Sugar
- 2 tablespoons Honey
- 1½ teaspoons dried Chili Flakes
- 2 tablespoons store-bought Tamarind Paste
- 3 tablespoons softened Cream Cheese
Instructions
- Whisk together cornstarch and a tablespoon of milk to make a slurry. Set aside.
- Combine remaining milk, cream, sugar, corn syrup, chili flakes, and tamarind paste in a saucepan. Place on medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Boil for 3 minutes, take off heat, then strain into another saucepan.
- Return to medium heat. Bring to a boil again, then slowly drizzle in cornstarch slurry while whisking continuously. Heat for another minute.
- Place cream cheese in a large bowl. Pour in heated milk mixture and mix, making sure cream cheese is well incorporated. Allow to cool and chill overnight. Churn in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer instructions.
Tamarind & Coconut Ice-Cream
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Possibly Mille Fleurs chef Barbara's favourite ice-cream of all time
Author: Barbara Walker
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: Jamaican
Serves: 1 Quart
Ingredients
- 200 ml Coconut Cream
- 500 ml Milk
- ¼ tsp. Vanilla
- 8 Egg Yolks
- 150 gm. Sugar
- 2 tbsp Tamarind
Instructions
- Mix coconut cream, milk and vanilla bean in a pan and bring to boiling point.
- Meanwhile whisk egg yolks and sugar until pale and frothy.
- Slowly ½ add hot milk mixture to egg yolk mixture stirring all the time
- Pour the egg mixture back to the rest of the milk mixture and cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a silicon spatula until the liquid coats the back of the spatula. Do not allow the egg to scramble.
- Strain the liquid into a bowl placed in a larger bowl of ice. Stir the liquid to allow it to cool faster. Stir in the tamarind paste and then place in a refrigerator to chill.
- The place the liquid in an ice-cream marker and allow to set. Keep frozen in an airtight container.
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