If there is one food that is loved the world over, it is ice cream. If you’ve tasted Caribbean ice cream you already know that it is a delightful treat to cool you off. A visit to any ice-cream shop in the Caribbean, and your experience is immediately elevated as you encounter a range of exotic flavors and toppings, served with warm hospitality. Whether you savor the flavors of commonly known tropical fruits like coconut and mango, or less widely available fruits such as soursop, guava and nesberry, your palette will be transported on a culinary expedition that is as exciting as the destination where you are.
Although more and more resorts are beginning to incorporate local ice cream flavors on their menus, you will likely have to venture off property to achieve ice cream ecstasy. In many off-the-beaten-path eateries throughout the islands you can still get homemade, slow churned ice cream, made by techniques that have been handed down for generations.
Even legendary ice cream makers Ben & Jerry’s tried to bring some Caribbean flavor and culture to their brand, a move that some have referred to as “When Hippie Met Yardie.” Every year, Ben & Jerry’s fans take to the polls to help decide which flavor should be “rein-CONE-ated,” as the company puts it, from their famous “Flavor Graveyard.”
Well 2018’s lucky pint was “Bob Marley’s One Love”, created in partnership with the Marley family. To celebrate the 30th Anniversary of Bob Marley & The Wailers release of the “One Love” song, the flavor first made its debut in the UK in 2017. Ben & Jerry’s fans in the United States petitioned to have the reggae-themed ice cream brought over to the US the following year.
Not exactly an Caribbean-esque ice cream flavor — Banana ice cream with Caramel & Cookie swirls & Chocolatey peace signs — the “One Love” concoction originally started life as “Satisfy My Bowl.”
But the Caribbean has developed its own rich, authentic ice-cream culture, that doesn’t stop at tropical fruits. While most people associate ice-cream consumption with childhood, the Caribbean has also perfected “adult ice cream,” crafting savory-sweet flavors from beer, rum and even champagne. Easily, the most popular of these flavors is Irish Stout ice cream, typically made with Guinness or its somewhat sweeter Jamaican counterpart, Dragon Stout.
Caribbean ice cream is rich, made with fresh, real ingredients (no artificial flavors) and a “premium” milk mix with a butter-fat ratio of about 14 to 16 percent.
Enjoy this authentic homemade Caribbean recipe.
Mango Ice Cream Recipe
3 large mangoes (about 2 1/2 cups of pulp)
1 large can of condensed milk
2 tsp vanilla essence
I pint heavy cream (cold)
Equipment
Measuring cups and spoon
Spatula
2 large mixing bowls
Hand mixer, stand mixer, or immersion blender
8-inch loaf pan, 8×8-inch pan, pint containers, or other freezer container Wax paper
Method
1: Pour the sweetened condensed milk into a large bowl.
2: Mix the vanilla extract, or other flavoring extract, into the condensed milk.
2a: Add pureed or pieces of mango or other tropical Caribbean fruits like soursop, papaya or guava.
3: In a separate bowl – whip the heavy cream until it holds stiff, billowy peaks, about 3 minutes.
4: Gently fold in the whipped cream into the condensed milk.
5: Continue to fold, the mixture will smooth out and become soft and silky.
Note: Do not deflate the mixture too much or over-mix.
6: Scrape ice cream mixture into your freezer container.
7: Smooth the top, then press a piece of wax paper against the surface to prevent ice crystals from forming.
8: Freeze for at least six hours, or up to 2 weeks.
Happy National Ice Cream Day! We can’t wait to get back to the real vibe of the Caribbean, with the ice cream beckoning heat, great beaches and magnificent views so that we can grab a cone with melted, fresh homemade flavors. Until then we can go #CaribbeanDreaming. Be sure to check out and recommend some of the best tropical ice cream parlors in the Caribbean.
