Blood Orange Olive Oil Ice Cream

This olive oil ice cream, enriched by raw egg yolks from pasture-raised hens, is rich buttery yellow and dotted with bright orange segments.  Of course, where there’s color, there’s nutrients.  Fresh, raw egg yolks – especially when sourced from pasture-raised hens – is a potently rich source of biotin, a B vitamin known for its essential role in skin, hair and fetal development, making it an especially important nutrient for expectant mothers or for those who are trying to conceive. Raw egg yolk, particularly from pasture-raised hens,  is also a good source of retinol or preformed vitamin A, a fat-soluble nutrient with far-reaching beneficial effects on human health.

Olive oil ice cream, as its name implies, also contains unrefined, extra virgin olive oil as a primary ingredient.  While olive oil undoubtedly brings a unique charm to ice cream, it also imbues this nourishing dessert with naturally occurring antioxidants and fat-soluble vitamins like vitamin E – a vitamin that is relatively difficult to come by in the standard American diet – at least in its natural form.  These nutrients are further enhanced by the addition of blood orange – a food rich in vitamin C and various minerals.

Olive Oil Ice Cream

Olive oil ice cream, enriched by pasture-raised egg yolk, fresh cream and whole milk, is dense in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.  The combination of unrefined extra virgin olive oil and blood oranges, with their fruity and floral perfumes, adds a beautiful flavor to a special and unique dessert.

Olive Oil Ice Cream: Ingredients

§  2 blood oranges

§  ¾ cup LunaOlivo Blood Orange olive oil

§  2 cups heavy cream, preferably fresh not ultrapasteurized

§  2 cups whole milk, preferably fresh not ultrapasteurized
§  6 egg yolks, beaten

§  1/3 to 1/2  cup raw honey, preferably wildflower or orchard blossom

§  6 to 8 drops organic, food-grade orange essential oil

§  dash unrefined sea salt

Olive Oil Ice Cream: Method

1.    Zest the blood oranges and reserve the zest.

2.    Tenderly segment the oranges, removing the white pith and tough membranes and reserving the tender, colorful orange flesh. Set aside.

3.    Whisk unrefined extra virgin olive oil, heavy cream, whole milk and beaten egg yolks together until thoroughly combined and gently emulsified.

4.    Vigorously whisk honey into the milk and egg mixture.  If your milk and eggs are very cold, the honey may harden and you may find it challenging to combine it thoroughly with the milk and eggs.  If that is the case, you may gently warm the mixture of milk and egg yolks over very low heat which enables the honey to blend more efficiently into the cream, milk and egg yolks.

5.    Stir in reserved orange zest, food-grade organic essential oil and sea salt into the honey-sweetened mixture of milk, cream, olive oil and egg yolks.

6.    If you’ve warmed the mixture, cool it in the refrigerator until it becomes quite cold – about twenty minutes.

7.    Fold reserved blood orange segments into the olive oil ice cream mixture, then freeze it according to your ice cream maker manufacturer’s instructions.

YIELD:  About 1 ½ quarts olive oil ice cream or about 12 servings.

TIME: 5 to 10 minutes (preparation), 20 to 60 minutes (freezing time, dependent on ice cream maker)

NUTRIENTS¹: 358 calories, 21 grams carbohydrate, 1 gram fiber, 7 grams protein, 29 grams fat (10 saturated, 15 monounsaturated, 3 polyunsaturated). 13% DV vitamin A, 32% DV vitamin C, 12% DV vitamin E, 11% DV vitamin K, 8% DV thiamin, 22% DV riboflavin, 2% DV niacin, 6% DV vitamin B6, 7% DV folate, 15% DV vitamin B12, 10% DV pantothenic acid, 23% DV calcium, 2% DV iron, 5% DV magnesium, 20% DV phosphorus, 9% DV potassium, 6% DV zinc, 2% DV copper, 1% DV manganese, 16% DV selenium.