Beet Ice Cream

Add the sugar & water to a saucepan, and bring to a simmer. Stir through the grated beets then let the syrup bubble away for 15 minutes. 

Meanwhile, add the coconut milk to a saucepan with the cardamom pods & vanilla. Place the pan over a low heat & allow the mix to infuse for 10 minutes.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the non dairy milk, with the cornflour & maple. 

When the coconut milk has infused, whisk in the non dairy milk mixture, then use a spatula to constantly stir the mix until it starts to thicken up. 

When the syrup has reduced down by around a 1/4, strain the mix through a sieve into the cream mixture. Add enough syrup to achieve the colour & beet flavour you require. Any left over beet, can be dried & turned into a vibrant beet powder. 

Once the mix has thickened slightly pass it through a sieve into a bowl & set aside to cool, cover over directly with greaseproof paper to stop a skin from forming.

Once cool enough to place in the fridge, refrigerate into its chilled completely. 

When the custard has chilled to fridge temperature, add it to your ice cream machine, let the machine work its magic. When the custard becomes an ice cream transfer it to a freezer safe container & place it into the freezer to set properly & enjoy at your leisure.

I serve my beet ice cream topped with hazelnuts & fresh mint.

Bear in mind you may have to let your ice cream defrost slightly before serving, as depending on how cool your freezer is, the ice cream may freeze too solid. To prevent this, increase the temperature of your freezer to around -18 degrees C.  You could add alcohol such as rum or vodka to your custard mix, this will help keep your ice cream scoop-able as the alcohol doesn’t freeze.