Orange Spice Low-Carb Ice Cream

So, I got an ice cream maker.  I made chocolate for my first batch (you're shocked, I know) and it was okay but Adam was right when he said it was a tad chalky.  Plus, I thought it was too sweet.  Ice cream takes a little practice to get right because the cold sensation and the fat content changes how you perceive the sweetness, so I added more sweetener than I normally would have and it was too much.  I think if I decide to make chocolate again I'm going to heat the coconut milk so it'll absorb the cocoa powder better, then add the cream and chill it overnight.

Anyway, for my second batch today I made an orange spice flavor, and it is awesome.  My only regret was that I couldn't fit my head in the freezer tub to lick it completely clean.  Probably best anyway, not sure I'd want to explain to Adam later what all the white stuff in my hair was.

Here's the recipe I used (somewhat approximate)

1 tsp salt
1 tablespoon orange extract
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground ginger
3/4 cup xylitol or other non-caloric sweetener (adjust to taste--non-caloric sweeteners vary enormously)
Zest of one orange
juice of one orange
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk drink
2 cups heavy whipping cream

Basically just mix it all up in a bowl and pour it in your prepared ice-cream maker. I chilled the mixture overnight but I don't think this is mandatory, also the fat may separate out when you do this.  When it's done churning I decant it out, put it in tupperware (after resisting the urge to lick the apparatus), and freeze it for at least a couple of hours to let it stiffen up a bit. I  Some ice cream recipes use egg yolks but I haven't found this to be necessary, it makes the ice cream stiffer (and yellower) if you like it that way.

Mad Science!

So, I decided to experiment a little with making a LCHF (low carb high fat) dessert. It did not go so well.

First I made a crumble crust for a pie. Only instead of using graham crackers, I used flaxseed meal and chopped almonds held together with butter. This was the only really successful part of the pie, and it tasted great. I think I needed to chop the almonds a bit more thoroughly, though, as the larger chunks had a tendency to fall out of the crust. But it certainly held together as well as any graham cracker crust I've ever made.

Then I made custard for pie filling. This went okay. I used egg yolks and cream with stevia and lemon extract to make the custard. Next time I'm going to use more cream and fewer egg yolks. I think I may just go ahead and use a little sugar or honey, too, as the Stevia tastes kind of salty to me after it's been baked. It just doesn't have any real sweetness to it. Also the lemon extract was a bust--it could not be tasted in the final product AT ALL. Next time I'm using lemon juice and lemon zest instead. (I was planning on using it this time, unfortunately I forgot to get an actual lemon on my way out of the store.)

Then I tried to make meringue using the egg whites. This was laughably bad. Apparently you HAVE to use SUGAR to make a proper meringue. Also it was hot and humid in the kitchen so the stuff just would NOT set. I gave it my best shot but I think I'm just not going to bother with this next time. The custard is plenty indulgent without any meringue, and I can use the egg whites to make egg drop soup or something.

Also, as a note, if you've never made meringue before, it makes about 10 times the volume (or more) than you had of egg whites. Useful to know so you don't end up overflowing your bowl.

Overall, not the best dessert I've ever made, but it was really low in carbs, for sure. And dinner (oven-roasted chicken drumsticks and creamed spinach) was good.

Also, it was the first time in three years that I used that eggbeater.

Yum

So, I did something today for the first time ever: I made an omelet. I've never made an omelet before, I could never get them to turn out. They always wound up as scrambled eggs. But this time I got my non-stick pan nice and hot, melted a knob of butter in it, and just poured enough eggs in to barely cover the bottom of the pan. Add a little cheese, and you've got a lovely decadent paleo omelet. Yum yum yum.

I also saw some Dagoba unsweetened drinking chocolate at the store, so I got some coconut milk, added just a little Stevia, and voila, omelet with hot chocolate for dinner.

It's so nice, because I was feeling really down in the dumps today, and this cured it.