Coconut Rum with Pineapple Ice Cream

What happened to Spring? For approximately a week, I was naively convinced that Winter was gone for good. I guess technically speaking Winter is over, but its spirit is still lingering and I am not happy about it. I am ready for sunny warm days and ice-cream. I have to confess that, although I am not an ice-cream kind-of person because I rather eat sherbet, there is one exception: coconut ice cream. The problem is that coconut ice cream is hard to find because few places offer it. This problem was solved a year ago when my husband bought me an ice-cream maker attachment to my KitchenAid mixer (KitchenAid KSM150PSWH Artisan Series 5-Quart Mixer, White) and a Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream cookbook. Now, that is a good present (as long as you are willing to ignore the few pounds you are going to gain from eating so much ice cream). To my surprise, there was a recipe for coconut ice cream with rum.  I made the ice cream the following week and it was the best coconut ice cream I had ever tasted but something was missing. I kept thinking about why I felt that something was missing and after eating about two cups of ice cream, I realized what was missing: Pineapple! It is the perfect pairing, I thought. It would be like pina colada ice cream. The following week I went to the store and bought a can of crushed pineapple to add to the ice cream. My partner in crime thought it was not a good idea. Oh dear, was he wrong. The coconut-pineapple ice cream was delicious. I closed my eyes, had a spoonful of ice cream and it immediately took me to a sunny beach far, far away from this wintery land. I was so happy eating the ice cream that I forgot to take a picture. I am sure you’ll forgive and understand me when you make it and start eating it compulsively. Here is the recipe:

Coconut Rum with Pineapple Ice Cream

Adapted from the Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Book

Servings: 1 quart

Notes: You’ll need an ice cream maker.

Ingredients:

2 large eggs

2 cups heavy cream

1 cup milk

¾ sugar

2 tablespoons dark rum

1 can (15 0z.) coconut cream such as Coco Lopez (Coco Lopez Cream Coconut, 15-Ounce Cans (Pack of 6))

1 small can of crushed pineapple (drained)

Directions:

1. Wisk the eggs in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy (about 1 to 2 minutes).

2. Whisk in the sugar, a little at a time, the continue whisking until completely blended, about one minute more.

3. Pour in the cream, milk and rum and whisk to blend.

4. Open the can of coconut cream and place the coconut cream in a blender. Do not include the oily liquid at the bottom of the can because it does not blend well with the milk mixture.

5. Pour one cup of the milk mixture in the blender and blend in low for about a minute or two.

6. Pour the coconut mixture back with the rest of the milk mixture and whisk until blended.

7. Transfer the mixture to an ice cream maker and freeze following the manufacturer’s instructions.

8. About 5 minutes before the ice cream is ready, slowly add the crushed pineapple.
9. Place the mix (it may have the texture of yogurt) in a container and freeze. It will be ready to eat in about five hours.