So... cold...

It looks like our summer is ending sooner than we all would have liked. This past weekend certainly proved it! M. and I had planned to take the Friday off and go out to Bird's Hill for a picnic and a long walk with our dog but those plans abruptly changed. An opportunity came up at work to work some over time and with how the weather was turning less sunny and more rainy, my relaxing weekend turned into an errand running/ working weekend. You win some you lose some. I even had plans to try out two new recipes to blog about; asparagus risotto and meringue kisses but I didn't even do any of the cooking all weekend. It was all M. He made simple but tasty meals.

Corn, garlic bread, salad and marinated tofu with yellow beans from the Farmers' Market.

I am holding on to summer though and this upcoming weekend will all lift up our spirits as it seems to be bringing on some better weather. For a last hurrah, here is a recipe I have been enjoying this past season. What's a better way to say good bye to summer than to make some ice cream? Not just ice cream, but VEGAN ice cream!

This was the first attempt. I made chocolate coconut fudge ice cream that looked like soup! The texture was less than ideal but it had a good flavour though. 

The second time I made it, it turned out a lot better. After I churned the ice cream, I put it back in the freezer for an hour, the texture was harder and very creamy. I topped it off with some chopped pecans. Enjoy!

Chocolate Coconut Fudge

Ingredients:

• 2 1/1 cups (600ml) unsweetened 100% coconut milk
• 2/3 cup of organic cane sugar
• 1/4 cup of cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp of salt
• 3 tbsp golden syrup
• 8 oz of semisweet chocolate, chopped

Special tools:

• Candy thermometer

Directions:

• Prepare an ice bath in the sink or a large heatproof bowl. I used my soup stock pot and filled it up half way with ice and some cold water sitting just above the ice.
• In a medium saucepan, combine the coconut milk, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, syrup and whisk vigorously until smooth and combined. Clip a candy thermometer to the saucepan and set the pan over medium heat. Cook, stirring regularly with a rubber spatula and scraping the bottom of the pan to prevent the syrup from sticking and burning, until the mixture reaches 155 degrees F.
• Turn the heat to low and add the chocolate, stirring constantly until completely melted. Remove from the heat. Transfer the mixture to the ice bath and let cool for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Transfer the cooled base to an ice cream maker and churn it accordingly to the manufacturer's instructions.
• Transfer the sorbet to a storage container. Serve immediately or harden in your freezer for 8 to 12 hours for a more scoopable sorbet.