If you’re looking for complicated and time-consuming desserts, these aren’t the recipes for you. But if you’d like an easy dairy-free ice cream-like frozen treat, then Strawberry Mint Nice Cream and its cousins Pineapple Mint and Sweet Cherry are for you!
Ice Cream Memories
Have I mentioned that I have a thing for ice cream? Oh, let’s not beat around the bush: I love it. I do I do I do I do I do.
I come by this honestly. My Dad was also an ice cream lover. He ate each cone or bowlful like it was an experience; you could see him savour every bite. I wonder if that appreciation was a result of being the ninth of ten kids at a time when treats were few and far between. I’m sure he was often jostled out of the way by his slew of older brothers when something good was on the table.
When my kids were little, Dad’s mission was to give them as much ice cream and Belgian chocolate as he could get away with. I’ll never forget the first time he fed Jennifer ice cream. She was old enough to sit up, maybe around nine months. Dad would scoop a bit of vanilla ice cream onto a teaspoon, pop it into his mouth for a moment to warm it up, eject it back onto the spoon and then transfer it to the baby, who was eagerly awaiting each bite. How I managed to restrain my first-time-mother-over-protective self and not freak out about his mouth-warming process, I don’t know, but to this day I’m glad that I said nothing, and just let them have that moment together.
When I was growing up on the farm, we had an ice cream truck that came around in the summers. Seriously. Not the kind of ice cream truck you see in the city announcing itself with musical chimes and offering a variety of individual treats, though. No, ours was a pick up truck with a freezer compartment on the back, carrying huge cardboard tubs of ice cream like you used to see in ice cream parlours. Each must have held at least a couple of gallons. Vanilla was a favourite, especially with all the strawberries my mother grew, and pretty chocolate-strawberry-vanilla-striped Neapolitan another.
I snuck into my mother’s massive deep freezer many a time over the summer to get myself a bowlful. That may be the reason Mom bought me a girdle when I was twelve, but that’s quite another story.
A New “Ice Cream”: Nice Cream
These days, though, there’s a new ice cream that’s being churned out (pun!) in my kitchen. The creamy concoctions calling your name in the photographs here don’t contain any dairy at all. In fact, they’re pretty much all fruit. If you haven’t already met, allow me to introduce you to “nice cream,” made with frozen bananas and other flavourings.
Nice cream has a soft serve consistency if you eat it right away, and its creaminess definitely fulfills the luxury factor that I look for in an ice cream experience. If you store it in the freezer, you may need to let it soften for a while before scooping it out. As it softens, it regains its creaminess. I’ve also scooped it into balls immediately that I let freeze on a tray before putting them into a sealed container. Options, people, options!
We’re under a heat advisory here right now, and my big two-flavour cone cooled me off and filled me up most satisfactorily.
I’ve made three versions so far: sweet cherry with almond, pineapple mint and strawberry mint. I definitely will venture into chocolate territory one of these days and will be sure to share the experience here. I’m kicking myself for not getting a photo of the sweet cherry version: the colour had the rich hue of cherry juice, and it tasted as good as it looked.
Strawberry Mint Nice Cream
Nice cream is a non-dairy frozen treat that uses bananas as its base. Blended with other fruits, the flavour of banana disappears into the background. This strawberry mint version is bright and refreshing, perfect for a hot summer day.
- 2 cups whole frozen strawberries
- 1 banana in 1/2-inch frozen chunks
- about 8 small fresh mint leaves
- 2 tbsp water or other liquid
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Let the strawberries and bananas sit in the bowl of the blender or food processor until they start to thaw and soften slightly. Pulse until the fruit is broken up into fairly small pieces. Add the mint leaves and begin to process continuously, turning up the speed as the mixture begins to come together. Add liquid if needed to achieve the desired "soft serve" consistency.
• It’s a good idea to check your blender or food processor’s manual for tips on processing frozen foods. I’ve learned to cut the banana chunks smaller and to allow both the bananas and larger, harder fruits like frozen whole strawberries a bit of time to start to thaw and soften before blending them. I use a Vitamin blender to make nice cream, and use its tamper to help things along. If the mixture seems stuck while blending, adding a bit of water or other liquid can also help the nice cream mixture loosen up and get moving.
• Use bananas that are good and ripe (I like them freckling on the peel, but not as soft as what I’d use for banana bread). Peel them and cut into chunks about half an inch long, and freeze on a tray. Once frozen, store in airtight bags until needed.
• Once the nice cream is blended, either use it right away or store in airtight containers in the freezer. Take it out 15 or 20 minutes before serving to allow it to begin to soften up and become scoopable.
Pineapple Mint Nice Cream
Pineapple mint nice cream is a sweetly tart and refreshing dairy-free treat.
- 1 cup fresh or frozen pineapple chunks
- 1 banana in 1/2-inch frozen chunks
- 6 small fresh mint leaves
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If using frozen pineapple chunks, place them in the bowl of a blender or food processor until they start to soften somewhat. If using fresh pineapple, add the frozen banana right away. Pulse until the fruit is broken up into fairly small pieces.
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Add the mint, and process continuously until the mixture comes together smoothly. If using frozen fruit, you may need to add liquid.
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I used fresh pineapple, and the mixture was quite runny. I froze it until firm, then broke it up and worked it to achieve the desired creamy consistency.
• It’s a good idea to check your blender or food processor’s manual for tips on processing frozen foods. I’ve learned to cut the banana chunks smaller and to allow both the bananas and larger, harder fruits like frozen pineapple chunks a bit of time to start to thaw and soften before blending them. I use a Vitamin blender to make nice cream, and use its tamper to help things along. If the mixture seems stuck while blending, adding a bit of water or other liquid can also help the nice cream mixture loosen up and get moving.
• Use bananas that are good and ripe (I like them freckling on the peel, but not as soft as what I’d use for banana bread). Peel them and cut into chunks about half an inch long, and freeze on a tray. Once frozen, store in airtight bags until needed.
• Once the nice cream is blended, either use it right away or store in airtight containers in the freezer. Take it out 15 or 20 minutes before serving to allow it to begin to soften up and become scoopable.
Sweet Cherry Nice Cream
Okay, that photo is a little bit of a cheat. I forgot to take a picture of the Sweet Cherry Nice Cream (it was that good to eat!), so the one pictured above is Blueberry Sweet Cherry. You can see that I pre-scooped it and froze it on trays (where they flattened a bit on the bottom — not a crisis, as far as I’m concerned).
Sweet cherry nice cream has the rich hue of dark cherry juice, and tastes as good as it looks. You'll have to trust me on this as I forgot to take a photo of it! (Blueberry Sweet Cherry is pictured here.)
- 2 cups frozen sweet cherry halves (make sure there are NO PITS!)
- 2 bananas, in 1/2-inch frozen chunks
- 1/4 tsp pure almond extract
- 2 tbsp water or other liquid
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Start by pulsing the fruit until it's broken up into fairly small pieces. Then add the almond extract and begin to process continuously, turning up the speed as the mixture begins to come together. Add liquid if needed to achieve the desired "soft serve" consistency.
• It’s a good idea to check your blender or food processor’s manual for tips on processing frozen foods. I’ve learned to cut the banana chunks smaller and to allow both the bananas and larger, harder fruits a bit of time to start to thaw and soften before blending them. I find this isn’t necessary for frozen cherries. I use a Vitamin blender to make nice cream, and use its tamper to help things along. If the mixture seems stuck while blending, adding a bit of water or other liquid can also help the nice cream mixture loosen up and get moving.
• Use bananas that are good and ripe (I like them freckling on the peel, but not as soft as what I’d use for banana bread). Peel them and cut into chunks about half an inch long, and freeze on a tray. Once frozen, store in airtight bags until needed.
• Once the nice cream is blended, either use it right away or store in airtight containers in the freezer. Take it out 15 or 20 minutes before serving to allow it to begin to soften up and become scoopable.
Looking for Different Kinds of Frozen Desserts?
Here are three different ideas for dog-days-of-summer-worthy frozen desserts. First up, we have another nice cream: Blueberry Sweet Cherry. It’s followed by a no-churn Lemon Curd Ice Cream. And finally, is summer complete without popsicles? This Watermelon Cutie Pop was my oldest granddaughter’s first popsicle, and what can I say … she enjoyed it immensely.
First Published 2015 08 17
Republished 2020 06 20
Good heavens, a musical version of Anne of Green Gables! Is nothing sacred?
Well, Mary, the play was written by a true Canadian icon, Don Harron, so I expect it was well done! That said, I haven’t seen it.
Oh my! You have been having fun lately, haven’t you?!! I wish I could taste the pineapple mint. So unique!
It has been fun playing around with nice cream! This is certainly the weather for it. The pineapple mint was good — next time I might use frozen pineapple to get even more of it in there. (After all, a recipe is just a guide, right?)
What a wonderful post! I love the image of your Father feeding Jennifer ice cream.
Brent
ice cream: scream for ice cream….. and the lovely words that you included… very appreciated…..
I’m glad you liked this, Suzanne! I bet you know some little people (and some big people) who’d love some nice cream!
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