Having successfully used the Bellini Intelli Kitchen Master to make something for dinner (Bacon, Onion & Corn Risotto), it was time to try it out on dessert. Mijune is incredibly passionate about ice cream so this was an obvious choice. We wanted to test the versatility of the Bellini so we decided to make an ice cream with black sesame and use the machine to finely grind the seeds. We used an ice cream recipe from the Bellini recipe booklet as a starting point and adapted it to the ingredients and flavours we wanted to use.

The Bellini is equipped with an 800W motor so it’s more powerful than most home food processors. Combined with its Cutting Blade, the machine is excellent for grinding, chopping and pulverizing tasks. The heating feature is also great for toasting nuts before grinding, thus saving on time and energy by not having to use the oven. This is exactly what we did for the black sesame seeds: the bowl was fitted with the Cutting Blade and the seeds were toasted directly in the machine and then immediately ground into a fine powder.

The Bellini could easily have been used to cook the ice cream base next but it was repurposed for another use so the ice cream base was cooked on the stovetop. The sesame seeds were transferred to a saucepot along with cream, sugar, coconut milk and kaffir lime leaves. Coconut milk is naturally sweet so the amount of sugar was reduced slightly from the original recipe. Kaffir lime leaves are wonderfully aromatic and they added an extra layer of flavour. The ice cream base was heated to dissolve the sugar and to infuse the liquids with the sesame and kaffir lime flavour.

I always prefer to make the base at least a day ahead so that the flavourings have extra time to infuse and integrate together. This is especially true if the mixture needs straining before being churned, like this recipe. Even though the sesame seeds were finely ground, it was better to strain them out so that the ice cream had a smoother texture. The toasty nutty sesame seed flavour was delicious with the sweet creamy flavour of coconut milk and the kaffir lime leaves added a subtle fresh tang.

For a fun presentation, the ice cream can be sandwiched in a rice crispy square. The soft chewy crunch of the rice crispy is a nice contrast to the creamy coolness of the ice cream, and the black sesame colour stands out nicely.

Black Sesame & Coconut Ice Cream

- adapted from the Bellini Intelli Kitchen Master recipe booklet

Ingredients

Yields ~1 liter of ice cream

• 100g (¾ cup) black sesame seeds
• 150g (¾ cup) granulated sugar
• 400 mL coconut milk (1 large can)
• 250 mL cream
• 4 kaffir lime leaves
• 1/8 tsp salt

Notes for success

• Chilling the ice cream mixture overnight allows the sesame flavour to steep into the liquid for a more intense taste.
• The sesame seeds are strained out of the ice cream mixture just before churning. The leftover seeds can be saved and used in cookies, muffins or quick breads. (Mine was spread out onto challah bread dough and baked up like a cinnamon swirl loaf.)

Method

1. Insert the Cutting Blade into the mixer bowl and fit it into the base of the Bellini.

2. Add the black sesame seeds and toast them at speed 2 at 90C for 5 minutes until the seeds are fragrant.

3. Grind the sesame seeds at speed 10 for 20 seconds, repeating 3-4 times. The seeds should be very finely ground.

4. Transfer the ground sesame seeds to a medium saucepot. Add the coconut milk, cream, sugar, salt, and lime leaves to the saucepot and cook the mixture over medium heat until the sugar has been dissolved.
   - or -
   Leave the ground sesame seeds in the Bellini mixer and add the coconut milk, cream, sugar, salt, and lime leaves. Cook the mixture at speed 2 at 70C for 10-15 minutes until the sugar has been dissolved.

5. Cool the ice cream mixture in the refrigerator overnight.

6. Remove the kaffir lime leaves and strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve. Reserve the strained sesame for another use (i.e. cookies, coffee cake).

7. Churn the mixture in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

The loudest the machine got was when it was grinding/toasting sesame seeds. This was the moist level for cooking bacon/making risotto which was quieter.