MY VERSION OF THE VEGG VEGAN FRENCH VANILLA ICE CREAM (WITH GRILLED PINEAPPLE)

UPDATE Sept. 2015 : We can no longer buy Vegg products (and there are 5 now) in Canada, and our low dollar comparison to the US dollar, plus shipping costs, makes it beyond my means to purchase it from the States right now.  So, for me, experiments mentioned below will have to wait. 

I've been slow about experimenting with the new vegan egg yolk alternative, The Vegg.  A couple of weeks ago I made a version of my lowfat mayonnaise with the "Vegg "vegan egg yolk" and it turned out very well, the Vegg adding a richer flavor, I thought (but not necessary).  We really enjoyed the French Toast recipe from the Vegg recipe page. ( I used regular wheat bread, homemade),  but I've had less success with some of their other recipes. They tend to be very short on detail, and, in my opinion, use too much Vegg in many of them, giving the result a slimy texture that I don't like.

I altered the fritatta recipe from my book Nonna's Italian Kitchen to include The Vegg, but, though it tasted good and wasn't slimy, it wasn't as substantial as my original recipe, so I have to try it with more tofu next time.  I notice that many of the recipes use tapioca flour or cornstarch because The Veg does not have thickening qualities like egg yolk does.  Not that I object to using these starches, but in a recipe like a fritatta or an omelet, which is a main course in many cases, I want more nutrition in the dish than starch can provide.  Tofu can thicken as well as add nutrition, but I also want to experiment using nutritional thickeners such as chickpea flour and corn flour.

Despite the learning curve, I think that this ingredient (which is sold in powder form and mixed with water) has great potential once we learn the ways to use it properly, so I want to test out some further ideas. On my list: a soy-free, nut-free, coconut-free vegan creme brulee and other custard-type recipe (in conjunction with British-style custard powder); revised versions of my fritatta and quiche recipes, and also my vegan Spanish omelet (Potato Tortilla) and vegan egg foo yung recipes; adding it to my vegan spoonbread recipe; adding it to my vegan "eggnog" recipe and perhaps vegan sweet yeast breads , etc.  I don't really feel the need to add it to my vegan pasta recipe-- a little chickpea flour provides good color and a slightly "eggy" flavor.

In any case, yesterday I experimented with a recipe from The Vegg website (by Sandy DeFino and Rocky Shepheard, the creator of The Vegg-- the recipe's not there anymore) for French Vanilla Ice Cream.  It was a very simple recipe and I followed it pretty much to the "T", except that I used commercial almond milk plus 2 tablespoons of canola oil instead of the coconut oil they recommended.  It turned out very well, although I think using a vanilla bean next time would add a richer vanilla flavor. Here's the recipe:

As you can see, I served the ice cream with grilled fresh pineapple slices and some toasted coconut flakes-- a great combination!

Printable Recipe

BRYANNA’S VERSION OF VEGG FRENCH VANILLA ICED CREAM by Sandy DeFino/Rocky Shepheard
Makes about 3-31/2 cups

In a blender, combine 

2 cups commercial almond milk + 2 tablespoons oil 

(OR use 2 cups homemade almond milk or almond cream-- you can see my method of making almond cream within the recipe for my almond "whipped topping"-- you can add more water for "milk")  

3 tsp. Vegg Vegan Egg Yolk Powder blended well with 3/4 cup water (NOTE: for a less "eggy" flavor, use only 2 tsp.) 

1/2 cup light-colored unbleached organic granulated sugar (or to taste-- remember that the ice cream mixture tastes sweeter when it is room temperature than it will when frozen) OR, for sugar-free, use sweetener of your choice, such as Splenda (sucralose), etc.

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract (See PS below)

1/2 tsp. xantham or guar gum gum OR 1 Tablespoon Instant ClearJel

Blend until very smooth. (Cooking the mixture as you would with real egg yolks won't thicken the mixture, so it's not necessary here.) Chill the mixture thoroughly, pour into ice cream maker and follow manufacturer instructions.  PS: If you want to use a vanilla bean instead of vanilla extract, slit the vanilla pod lengthwise with a sharp knife-tip scrape the sticky seeds out and add the pod and seeds to the almond milk which has been brought to boiling.  Turn off heat and allow to cool in the refrigerator, then strain the milk before using in the recipe.

Enjoy!