Magnum P. I. (Paleo Interpretation)

My dairy-free, nut-free, low sugar Magnum Paleofied Interpretation!

Were you a Tom Selleck fan? Did you watch Magnum P.I in the ’80’s? I did with detached interest but I wasn’t a huge fan. But do you want to chat about Tom Selleck or get to the REAL point of this post and find out about my  Magnum P(aleo) I(nterpretation)?

Let me paint you a picture:

Each night, after dinner has been cleaned up, my husband and I will turn on the TV and watch whatever rubbish is on to relax and purge our busy brains from our days work.  There are very few programs on TV that I am interested in and will, more often than not, sit beside him with a book or a browser and read.

Lately, my dear husband has taken to routinely devour a Magnum ice-cream right next to me; licking & slurping and dropping chocolate on the couch while I sit alongside and secretly seethe with frustration about how can something so processed, so dairy-full & sugary, so UNPALEO, be so powerfully seductive to me?!

As a Paleo advocate, I am very happy with my food choices and never, ever feel that I miss out on treats. Ever. …. except until that time of night when I watch him crack off and eat all of the chocolate first, then deep-throat that creamy decadent vanilla bean ice confection, until it has shrunk to a mere liquid to coat his digestive tract… Fortunately for me, the whole process only lasts 73 seconds and I am relieved of the antagonism until the next evening!

So the other day, I thought F#&* it and refused to endure this degustatory torture ANYMORE!!

A Paleo version is required. Yesterday.

The real deal and my Paleofied version!

I don’t often make ice-cream. The reason is that when I start eating it, I find it hard to stop. It is so easy to make up a custard in the TM and churn it and then scoff the lot, because, as everyone knows, home-made ice-cream is best eaten on the day!

When my TM was new, strawberry fruity dream was my best friend. The kids made their own fruit sorbet, everyday, after school and I delighted in the fact that they were getting fruit and protein in such a painless manner. My newly acquired (and personally imported)  Gaggia Gelati machine lay dormant in the cupboard as the TM did all of the work.

Until, I decided that I needed to go cold turkey and lay off the ice-cream for a while. And then I discovered Paleo, and knitting amongst other distractions and the ice-cream making was laid to rest. Until now….

Rather than make a batch of ice-cream which can be easily consumed in one sitting, I thought that making icy poles (ice-cream on a stick) would be a safer bet, portion-wise for me. After all, my husband does stop at 1 Magnum per night!

I bought a lovely icy-pole mould  like this that used wooden sticks rather than the pre-formed plastic ones but found that if you didn’t insert the stick exactly straight, it was virtually impossible to get the lid off.

I had previously seen the pre-frozen Zoku mould and discounted it because of the price and hype but I was particularly taken with the shape and as with us creative types, design won over practicality in the end.

The verdict? The Zoku does work well, albeit a little slower than advertised but it produces a nice shape, nice size (smallish but it suits me) icypole. The company says that using high fat, alternative sweetener recipes will not work but I haven’t had a problem.

The ice-cream base is easy peasy – make sure you chill it well before pouring into the moulds. This recipe made 6 MPI’s – Magnum P.I’s! The addition of sugar (and honey) is a natural ice-cream softener – as is alcohol. A teaspoon of vodka would give these ice-creams a straight-out-of-the freezer soft consistency but I prefer to add less sugar, no alcohol, and put them in the fridge for 20 minutes to “warm” before serving.

The chocolate is also easy but just takes a little patience. Cool the “mockolate” to room temperature before dipping otherwise the ice-cream will melt and collapse.  I used a tall glass to dip and chilled each icy-pole well before re-dipping. It’s up to you how many coats you want to do but to replicate the decadence of a real Magnum I did 4 coats – it was worth it!!

By all means, use any mould you like, they range from $5 – $50, I’m sure the kids won’t be fussy! Most kitchenware shops or ebay will have them.  I’m off to make a childhood favourite, Chocolate Paddle pop; paleo style next. And then maybe a paleofied Golden Gaytime!

Vanilla Bean Ice-Cream

400g coconut cream

80g raw sugar (I used 60g Natvia, 20g raw sugar)

1 tab honey

1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped out

4 egg yolks

 

Add all of the ingredients to the TM and cook on SP 4 at 60ºC for 12 minutes. It will be smooth and glossy and thick like runny cream. Pour into a bowl and chill for at least 2 hours. Pour into ice-cream moulds and freeze overnight. Place a plate or tray into the freezer to chill.

 

“Mockolate” Coating

60g coconut sugar (I used 20g coconut sugar, 40g natvia powder)

50g coconut milk powder* 

1 big pinch salt

150g raw cacao butter, chopped

100g coconut oil 

30g cacao or cocoa

 

Mill sugar & salt, cacao butter and coconut powder on speed 9 for 10 seconds. Add the coconut oil & cacao and cook on 50°C for 10 minutes on SP 3.

 

Pour into a  tall glass which will allow a deep dip of the ice-creams and leave to cool to room temperature. 

 

Carefully dip each icy-pole into the chocolate and hold up vertical for a few seconds until it dries and then lay on a cold plate, lined with baking paper. Place back in the freezer and leave for at least 10 minutes before re-dipping. Repeat 3 times. Freeze for at least 4 hours before indulging. You may want to move them in the fridge for 20 minutes to “warm” before serving.

 

* Coconut milk powder makes the mockolate more creamy and less bitter for young tastebuds.

These are the sticks in the Zoku maker. I’m not sure about sucking ice-cream off them…..the texture is a bit off putting.