Fruits of Summer Ice Cream Sundae

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Fruits of Summer Ice Cream Sundae

Fruits of Summer Ice Cream Sundae

July 18, 2012 By Amy Lyons In Ice Cream and Frozen Treats, Pies, Tarts and Fruit Desserts 30 Comments

Sitting out on picnic table in the sunshine, eating ice cream after running through the sprinkler.  This was an important part of summer to me when I was a kid.  I loved any kind of ice cream...peppermint bon bon, sherberts, cookie dough, strawberry, peach, chocolate...I ate them all!  I would even scoop them all into one bowl if I had the option to!  I loved to load them up with toppings as well.  I can remember being at my Dad's house when I was about eight making myself an ice cream sundae.  I grabbed everything and anything ice cream related or that could be used as a topping and started crafting my masterpiece.  I scooped 3 different ice creams into a bowl.  Peppermint Bon Bon, Strawberry, and Moose Tracks. I then loaded it up with fudge, caramel and reddi whip.  Not to stop there however, I topped it off with M&Ms and chocolate chips.  It was a monster bowl of ice cream, and I ate it all!  Looking back on it, it sounds way too sweet and kind of disgusting to me now, but I was in heaven at the time!
 

My tastes have drastically changed and I am no longer into that overly sweet stuff.  I much prefer things which are made sweet by fruit instead of just sugar, and I am in love with coconut milk based ice creams instead of the dairy I used to indulge in all the time.  And so recently when I was looking through photos of the ice cream on my blog, I thought, wouldn't it be lovely to create a sundae featuring fruit and herbs? 
I had recently made lemon basil ice cream and it was so refreshing that I knew it would be perfect among the other ice creams in the sundae.  I also whipped up a batch of raspberry lavender and peach thyme.  They were all wonderfully fragrant and just sweet enough, but not overly so. 
 

I spooned them into one of my Grandmother's antique dishes, and topped them off with a bit of fresh raspberry sauce, crunchy pistachios, and a mixture of fruits I happened to have on hand. 
 

It was the most beautiful sundae I had ever layed eyes on...almost too pretty to eat!  You may be wondering if I ate this concoction myself or shared, as it was a rather large bowl.  I ate every last bite myself!  It was too good to share...that bowl at least.
 

Luckilly I had enough ice cream leftover to share some.  Who says ice cream sundaes have to be overly sweet and dripping with gooey sauces?  Light and refreshing is so wonderful especially when it is near 100 degrees and you don't want to be feeling heavy. 
 

Fruits of Summer Ice Cream Sundae

peach thyme ice cream:
makes 5 cups
2 Tbsp fresh thyme
3 cups organic full fat coconut milk, chilled
3/4 cup agave nectar
2 medium fresh organic peaches, diced
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp sea salt

In a blender combine all ingredients, and process until well blended. Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and process according to package directions (mine takes about an hour, and is still a little soupy like the consistency of a malt, but firms up in the freezer later). Once processed, pour into a freezable container with a lid, and place in the freezer for at least 8 hours, or overnight to firm up for best results.

raspberry lavender ice cream:
Makes 5 cups
1 cup full fat coconut milk
2 Tbsp dried lavender, divided
2 cups organic full fat coconut milk, chilled
3/4 cup agave nectar
12 oz fresh organic raspberries or 12 oz bag frozen raspberries
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp sea salt

In a small saucepan, bring 1 cup lite coconut milk to a simmer and remove from heat. Add 1 Tbsp dried lavender flowers and stir in. Let cool, then chill in the fridge until very cold to let lavender infuse. Strain coconut milk, discarding lavender then add chilled milk to a blender, along with all other ingredients (except remaining 1 Tbsp dried lavender) in a blender, and process until well blended. Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and process according to package directions (mine takes about an hour, and is still a little soupy like the consistency of a malt, but firms up in the freezer later). Once processed, stir in remaining Tbsp lavender and pour into a freezable container with a lid, and place in the freezer for at least 8 hours, or overnight to firm up for best results.


lemon basil ice cream:
Makes 4 cups

3 cups organic full fat coconut milk, chilled
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, packed
3 Tbsp organic lemon zest
3 Tbsp lemon juice
3/4 cup agave nectar
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
2 tsp lemon extract
1/2 tsp sea salt

Combine all ingredients in a blender, and process until well blended. Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and process according to package directions (mine takes about an hour, and is still a little soupy like the consistency of a malt, but firms up in the freezer later). Once processed, pour into freezable container with a lid, and place in the freezer for at least a few hours, or overnight to firm up for best results.

Raspberry Sauce:

2 cups fresh raspberries
2 Tbsp agave nectar
2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Puree all ingredients until smooth.

For assembly:
1/4 cup pistachios (each sundae)
assorted fresh organic fruit (I used raspberries, blackberries, peaches, and strawberries)
fresh basil and thyme leaves

To assemble, scoop 2 scoops of each ice cream into an obling bowl.  Top with a bit of raspberry puree, pistachios, fresh fruit, and herbs.  Enjoy! 

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About the Author

I am a vegan girl who loves to make healthier desserts and dishes with lots of veggies. Recipes are meant to be shared, that is why I started blogging!

30 Comments
  1. Ellen B Cookery
    July 18, 2012 at 11:53
    Reply

    Oh my, I want to have my own spoon and sit down next to you!

    • Amy
      July 19, 2012 at 02:02
      Reply

      This would be a perfect bowl of ice cream to share, it was so large haha!

  2. Julie Yates
    July 18, 2012 at 12:34
    Reply

    This is just beautiful! I am in awe! Wonderful! Thank you for sharing your gift of cooking and photography with all of us!

    • Amy
      July 19, 2012 at 02:03
      Reply

      Thank you for your kind comments :)! I love to share with you all!

    • Amy
      July 19, 2012 at 02:04
      Reply

      Thank you :)! I loved how colorful it turned out with all the fruit!

  4. Shannon
    July 18, 2012 at 13:49
    Reply

    This looks so delicious! Lemon basil and peach thyme sound so perfect for this weather. I really need to utilize my herbs a lot more!

    • Amy
      July 19, 2012 at 02:06
      Reply

      Thank you :)! I wish I had access to more herbs, all I could grow was basil this year. Perfect time to use them when they are at their best ;)!

  5. Viviane Bauquet Farre
    July 18, 2012 at 13:54
    Reply

    Wow, Amy, this is visually nonpareil. You have an excellent sense of aesthetics and this definitely shows through for this recipe. Incredibly presentation!

    • Amy
      July 19, 2012 at 02:06
      Reply

      Thanks Viviane :)! It was fun to put together, and then of course enjoy when the photos were all taken ;)!

  6. Javelin Warrior
    July 18, 2012 at 17:30
    Reply

    I was like you, Amy - as a kid, I'd load pretty much every topping I could get my hands on over a bowl of ice cream. We used to sometimes go to Ponderosa and they had their endless sundae bar and I'd go back over and over and over (little bottomless pit!). But now I really want to savor the ice cream or sorbet and don't have much use for toppings. Every now and them I love a nice homemade strawberry or fudge sauce... But this looks incredible and love that you mixed herbal with fruit - inspired...

    • Amy
      July 19, 2012 at 02:09
      Reply

      Funny how kids are with ice cream haha! I agree, it is nice to be able to taste the ice creams and not smother them with sugars. Thank you :)!

    • Amy
      July 19, 2012 at 02:10
      Reply

      Thanks Autumn :)!

  8. Lisa {Sweet 2 Eat Baking}
    July 18, 2012 at 22:38
    Reply

    I love fruit with ice cream, it's so yummy and refreshing. I have yet to try coconot based ice creams but I have an ice cream maker on order so this is the perfect chance for me to try this.<br /><br />-Lisa.<br /><a href="http://www.sweet2eatbaking.com/" rel="nofollow">Sweet 2 Eat Baking</a>

    • Amy
      July 19, 2012 at 02:11
      Reply

      Thanks Lisa :)! You should definately try them...they are so good I never use dairy anymore!

  9. Lizzy
    July 19, 2012 at 00:52
    Reply

    I'm a vanilla girl, but I'd love to top it with your raspberry sauce :) And I'd pile on the fruit, too!

  10. Heather Pace
    July 19, 2012 at 03:47
    Reply

    Your sundae is so beautiful and rich in color! I love coconut based ice creams too. You should enter the vegan ice cream sundae challenge! :D http://www.sweetlyraw.com/2012/07/summer-dessert-challenge.html

    • Amy
      July 19, 2012 at 23:28
      Reply

      Thanks Heather! I checked out your link, and I am definately going to enter the challenge! It sounds like a lot of fun! In fact, I have some ice cream churning right now :)!

  11. Baker Street
    July 19, 2012 at 05:45
    Reply

    What a gorgeous sundae!! I want a scoop of the peach thyme ice cream!

    • Amy
      July 19, 2012 at 23:29
      Reply

      Thanks :)! The peach was pretty delicious!

  12. Miss Messy
    July 19, 2012 at 15:00
    Reply

    this is absolutely gorgeous! just what i want right now! wow

    • Amy
      July 19, 2012 at 23:29
      Reply

      Thank you :)!

    • Amy
      July 19, 2012 at 23:30
      Reply

      Thanks Vicky :)! It made me want to experiment more with herbs and fruit in ice cream in the future!

  14. Sunnie
    July 19, 2012 at 18:46
    Reply

    Amy, I made your Lemon-Basil ice cream about a week ago, and we (my mom and I) just finished it off yesterday, so I will be making more! And this sundae looks divine . . . I may have to make those flavors as well.<br /><br />Just one quick question - I see that you use natural food dyes for your frosting, etc. Could you tell me which brand(s) you use? Thank you!

    • Amy
      July 19, 2012 at 23:31
      Reply

      Glad you liked it :)! You should definately try the other flavors! Honestly the raspberry was my favorite. The brand is India Tree and I got it at Whole Foods.

  15. Janet@FCTC
    July 21, 2012 at 04:04
    Reply

    That is an amazing looking sundae, Amy. Now I just have to figure out which flavor of ice cream I want to make first hehe

    • Amy
      July 21, 2012 at 12:02
      Reply

      Thanks Janet :)! They are all good, but I have to say the raspberry was my favorite :)!

  16. Foodie Stuntman
    July 22, 2012 at 20:11
    Reply

    I love your progression of pictures from the perfect plated dish to just leftover melted custard and a used spoon. Very creative!

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