Green Goodness

Happy Saint Patrick's Day! And if you're in Massachusetts, Happy Evacuation Day!

I'm sharing a recipe today that, while may not be traditional Irish fare, is green :) My parents came to visit this past weekend, and I attempted to recreate the pistachio ice cream we had on vacation in Arizona. It may not have been spot-on, but it was still delicious!

Pistachio Gelato

Pistachio Gelato

Recipe by Shannon

Yield: ~2c

I'm calling it a gelato because it lacks the traditional custard base with heavy cream and eggs, but it's essentially a coconut milk ice cream. Cornstarch is used to thicken it a bit, and the coconut milk imparts a silky mouth feel. I left the texture from the ground pistachios, but feel free to strain it with cheesecloth before churning if you prefer a smoother texture.

150g shelled pistachios

65g turbinado sugar
1T milk (non-dairy if desired, or more coconut milk)

1 can coconut milk (I used light)
1/3c milk (non-dairy if desired, or more coconut milk)

2T cornstarch
1-2T honey

Combine pistachios and sugar in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to a fine powder. Add in a little milk so it becomes a paste (I just eye-balled 1T). Transfer pistachio paste to a small saucepan with coconut milk. Heat over low heat until the paste "dissolves" (to a smooth liquid). Whisk starch and 1/3c milk until dissolved. Add milk/starch mixture to coconut milk/pistachio mixture and continue to cook over med-low heat until the mixture starts to thicken. Remove from heat and let cool a little bit. Transfer to a blender (I just used my stick blender) and add 1T honey. Blend, taste, and add more honey if desired. Refrigerate until cool (few hours or more), then churn according to the directions on your ice cream maker!

*Edited to add: I adjusted the recipe, as after Elina's question, I found this website detailing the strengths/weakness of different thickeners and wouldn't recommend using arrowroot if you're using dairy milk.