Don't you love the way rhubarb ripple sounds? Vegan ice cream is a tricky beast. A lot of them rely on coconut milk and oil, which makes every flavor taste, well, like coconut. Except, there is a Van Leeuwen ice cream near my apartment and their vegan flavors never taste too coconutty – unless they are meant to. So I did a little (very little) sleuthing to figure out their secret. Turns out they have a cookbook and their secret is a combination of cashews for chew and cocoa butter and coconut for richness. The combination is not entirely neutral in flavor, you can still taste the individual componenets if you think about it, but the texture is amazingly smooth and rich. I decided to play up the cocoa butter (white chocolate!) flavor in this recipe which pairs beautifully with rhubarb and makes a delightfully springy plant based treat.

There are a couple of spots left in my Fall Paris Workshop with Olaiya Land! We and I had such a long waitlist for our Paris workshop this Spring (thank you!) that we added another workshop this September 20-24. The format will be pretty much the same as the Spring version - think lots of pastry, delicious wine and cheese, market visits, prop shopping, and some solid photo, styling, and editing lessons in the city of light. This trip is for anyone looking to build their photography and styling skills (all levels welcome) and enjoy lots of beautiful food in one of the most amazing cities in the world. I am so excited to explore Paris in the fall, I am dreaming of the markets already!

Details this way!

White Chocolate Rhubarb Ripple Ice Cream (Vegan)

makes about 1 quart

ice cream base adapted from Van Leeuwen Ice Cream

The key to the texture of this ice cream is to make sure the mixture is completely smooth and emulsified at every step so don't skip on the blending steps. Also, the ice cream base is wonderful on its own or with a bit of chopped chocolate folded in.

Roasted Rhubarb Compote

1/2 (225g) pound thin rhubarb stalks

1/2 cup (50g) granulated sugar

juice of 1/2 lemon

Vegan White Chocolate Ice Cream

1/2 cup (75g) raw, unsalted cashews

1 cup (200g) granulated sugar

1/2 cup (100g) cocoa butter

3 tablespoons coconut oil

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1/4 cups full fat coconut milk

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped

For the compote

Heat oven to 375ºF.

Slice the rhubarb into 2-3 inch lengths. Toss it in a baking dish with the sugar, and lemon juice. Roast until soft and juicy. Blend until smooth. Cool completely before using in the ice cream. It should be thick and jammy, if it seems liquidy cook it on the stovetop for a few minutes over medium heat to reduce.

For the ice cream

Cover the cashews with water and let soak overnight. Drain and rinse the cashews then add them to a blender with 1/2 cup water. Puree until completely smooth.

Combine the sugar with 1/4 cup water and cook over medium-high heat until the sugar is dissolved. Remove the pan from the heat then whisk in the cocoa butter, coconut oil, and salt until melted and smooth.

Add the sugar mixture, vanilla extract, and vanilla bean seeds into the blender and puree until smooth. Refrigerate until cooled completely then churn in an ice cream machine according to manufacturers instructions. Spoon 1/3 of the ice cream mixture into a freezer safe container, dollop 2 tablespoons of the rhubarb compote over the top and swirl with a knife, repeat with more ice cream and rhubarb until you have used all of the ice cream. You will have some rhubarb compote left over. Cover and freeze until firm, at least 4 hours.

Preserved lemons (or limes!) in salt is one of my favorite canning projects because it is EASY. All you need is some fruit, kosher salt, and a clean jar - well, some time too if you count that as an ingredient. I was the lucky recipient of a box of Rangpur limes - one of my favorite esoteric citrus fruits - from Shae who I bonded with years ago over our love of fruit and preserving. So, long story short I preserved a couple of jars of them in salt which I will use in savory (and sweet!) dishes all year long. I just love their sour funky flavor and their gorgeous color!

It's a beautiful process and I teamed up with Pete again who made this incredible video (including the music that I just LOVE). I hope you like it, and I always say this, but more to come!

Preserved Lemons or Limes

Making preserved lemons is one of my favorite winter canning projects and is one of the easiest too. It is really more a formula than a specific recipe so feel free to scale these amounts up or down depending on how much use you think you’ll get out of them. Meyer lemons are wonderful preserved because of their thin skin and small amount of white pith, but regular lemons are great too.

1 quart sized canning jar and lid or 2 pint jars

8-10 organic lemons, well scrubbed

kosher salt

Slice off the stem end and bottom of each lemon (only if they have big nubs). Stand the lemons up and, cut an “X” into each lemon, stopping about 1/2-inch from the bottom so all four quarters are still connected at the base. Hold each lemon open with your fingertips and sprinkle salt on the inside and outside of each one.

Cover the bottom of the jar with a thin layer of salt and place each lemon in the jar, pressing to release the juices. Fill the jar with the lemons, leaving about 1-inch of headspace. If the lemons are not completely submerged in juice, top the jar off with additional lemon juice until they are covered. Sprinkle salt on the top of the jar, screw on the lid and give the whole thing a shake.

Let the jar sit at room temperature for three days, turning the jar each day to distribute the salt and juices. After three days, store the jar in the refrigerator, making sure to turn it every couple of days. The lemons are ready when their rinds are very soft, about 3 weeks. To cook with the lemons, remove them from the jar and rinse with cool water. Remove and discard the pulp and seeds and chop the rind. They’ll keep in the fridge, submerged in juice, for one year.