Matcha, Cherimoya + Strawberry Ice Cream

Matcha, Cherimoya + Strawberry Ice Cream

Ice cream season has arrived! At least, it has if you live in Southern California like us. The weather here lately has been verging on August temps and I am ba da ba ba baaa NOT loving' it. But this ice cream, packed with summery flavors, provides absolute relief from the miserable heat. A bowl of Matcha, Cherimoya + Strawberry ice cream topped with fresh strawberries? OH HELL YES. This whips up to be super creamy- so if you're not a hard serve kinda gal let it soften up a bit before eating and it's just like old school soft serve. 
I'm already a huge matcha fan, and started incorporaring it into more than just my lattes with this Matcha Green Tea Scone recipe about a month ago. Since then, I want it in everything- including my ice cream. Its gives the best earthy, sweet flavor and pairs so well with the cherimoya.
The cherimoya is a totally new discovery to us. A friend kept telling us it tasted- on its own- like frozen yogurt, so we picked some up from the farmers market last week to try it for ourselves. When soft and ripe, the 'custard apple' really does have a light, sweet, almost frozen yogurt like taste...but I just couldn't stomach the soft, stringy, milky white texture. So, we blended it up! Since its not super sweet, we tossed in some fresh strawberries to sweeten the deal, plus a splash of maple syrup. Omit the maple syrup for a sugar-free option, or feel free to sub in whatever sweetener you prefer in its place. The vanilla helps balance the earthy flavors with the sweet, and the whole bit comes out a lovely shade of green. This recipe is high in potassium, vitamins C + B6, and antioxidants plus a whole lot of good fats & fiber, so have two servings if you like- I won't tell. 

INGREDIENTS
1 - 15 oz. can coconut cream (OR 2 - 15 oz. cans coconut milk, 'water' drained)
1 tablespoon matcha powder
1 cup cherimoya, seeded and skinned
1 cup fresh strawberries
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 vanilla bean, scraped (OR 2 teaspoons vanilla extract)

DIRECTIONS
Wash + rinse the cherimoya well. Use a spoon to scoop the meat from the middle and remove the large black seeds- they're poisonous! Wash and hull strawberries, and cut vanilla bean in half and scrape insides into small bowl.
In a food processor or high speed blender combine all ingredients until creamy, then pour into a loaf pan or deep bowl, and freeze at least 8 hours- until hard enough to scoop. Use an ice cream scoop to scoop out hearty portions into a bowl and enjoy!

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