Cold, creamy and good for you too
Alex Wong asks: Can you give me a healthier recipe for ice cream?
Wynnie says: Ice cream is a classic example of a comfort food guaranteed to deliver a hefty dose of sugar and fat when you need it. Traditionally it is made using heavy cream, high in unhealthy saturated fats. Some brands have more than 10g of saturated fat and 300 calories per half-cup serving. So if you love ice cream, you might want to try lower fat versions instead.
You don't need an expensive ice cream maker to make the treat at home, just a bit of patience and lots of elbow grease.
Strawberry Ice Cream
You can substitute strawberries with any other favourite fruit or leave it plain for vanilla ice cream.
Makes around 8 servings
Ingredients
1 tsp gelatin
2 tbsp water
3 cups reduced fat milk
2 egg yolks
14 oz (400g) can half-fat evaporated milk
1/2 cup caster sugar (or to taste)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups strawberries, pureed
Method
1 Sprinkle gelatin over water in a small bowl. Stir and set aside.
2 Heat 1 1/2 cups of milk in a large saucepan until it comes to a simmer.
3 Meanwhile whisk the egg yolks, evaporated milk and sugar in a bowl.
4 Gradually pour the hot milk over the egg yolk mixture, whisking until blended. Return the mixture to the pan and cook over a low to medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the mixture thickens slightly - about 3 to 5 minutes. Don't boil the custard or it will curdle.
5 Add the gelatin and whisk until it's melted. Whisk in the remaining 1 1/2 cups of milk.
6 Strain the custard through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl, add the strawberries and mix thoroughly. Pour into a shallow, plastic-lidded airtight container and freeze.
7 Check the ice cream after about an hour in the freezer - it should have started to freeze near the edges. If it has, take it out and stir vigorously with a spatula or whisk, trying to break up any frozen sections, then put it back.
8 Continue checking the mixture every 30-45 minutes, stirring vigorously as it freezes. It will take at least 2-3 hours before it's frozen and ready.
Nutritional information per 4oz serving: 92kcal, 384kJ, 6.4g protein, 3.9g fat, 1.9g saturated fats, 8.1g carbohydrates
Blueberry froyo
If you still think low-fat ice cream doesn't cut it, try the latest froyo trend. These tend to taste creamier, but are also refreshing. If you use yoghurts containing 'active and live cultures', you'll have the added advantage of introducing some 'friendly' bacteria to your body. These can help to keep your digestive system healthy and boost your immune system, warding off colds and possibly some cancers. Makes around 12 servings.
Ingredients
2 cups reduced fat yoghurt
2 cups plain Greek yoghurt
2 cups blueberries
3 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup caster sugar (or to taste)
3 tbsp light corn syrup
Method
1 Put the blueberries, lemon juice and caster sugar in a saucepan and heat over a gentle flame.
2 As the sugar melts, stir the mixture and break up the blueberries with the back of a wooden spoon.
3 In a large bowl, whisk the two types of yoghurt together, add the blueberry mixture and corn syrup, and mix until all the ingredients are combined.
4 Pour the yoghurt mixture into an airtight, plastic, shallow-lidded container and place in the freezer.
5 Follow steps 7 and 8 from the above recipe to freeze the yoghurt.
Nutritional information per 4 oz serving: 130kcal, 548kJ, 4.6g protein, 4.4g fat, 2.9g saturated fats, 19.4g carbohydrates
