Apple Cinnamon Vice Cream (Vegan Ice Cream)

I'm not a vegan, not even close to being a vegan. But what I am is a cashew nut lover. I was curious about this ice cream as I had heard rave reviews from vegans but what I wanted to see was how it stacked up for a non vegan. Was it as good or were vegans just grateful for a halfway decent recipe that allowed them to partake in one of their favourite childhood treats?

I know I've been moaning about the cold but for this start of Spring I thought I'd coax a little warm weather out by making ice cream. I was pleased to see that there was an Organic version of Camp Maple Syrup and given that I was making a healthy ice cream, it seemed fitting to buy this.

The timing for this was fortuitous as I was sick with the flu so I couldn't eat any dairy. But that also meant that my sense of smell and taste was affected. Once I was on the mend however it meant that I could judge this with a critical tongue and whilst it replicated the texture somewhat of ice cream, it isn't what a non vegan eater would call like ice cream. It's not bad, but it's obviously not as "creamy" tasting as ice cream. Using something like soy milk would probably yield a more accurate ice cream doppelganger. Perhaps I need to try another flavour, which I will, one day.

Ice cream is probably my least favourite item to photograph, it takes a lot of hurrying and technique, moreso than any other food except for perhaps a souffle that may fall. So if my ice cream photos lack somewhat, it was probably as a function of my lack of expertise in the area and lack of enthusiasm for photographing this temperamental creature.

Apple Cinnamon Vice Cream (Vegan Ice Cream)

• 3 cups apple juice

• 200g raw cashews

• 1/3 cup maple syrup

• 2 teaspoons cinnamon

Directions

Step 1 - Blend all ingredients in the blender (not a food processor) for at least 2 minutes to get the mixture _extremely _smooth.

Step 2 - Empty contents into a freezerproof container and put in the freezer until set or pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and process according to directions till it reaches an ice cream consistency.

Step 3 - If not using an ice cream maker, once frozen, leave it outside for 10 minutes to thaw slightly and then process ice cream in food processor. This will make it softer and more "scoopable" as otherwise it will break off in small chips if a scoop is applied.

Recipe adapted from Vice Cream: Over 70 Sinfully Delicious Dairy-Free Delights by Jeff Rogers