It’s summer in New Zealand. I love it that the seasons are reversed in the Southern and Northern Hemispheres. This year, I was fortunate to have summer twice. I went back home to California in August for a month of summer and now I’m getting my turn at the second round of summer in New Zealand. Hot summer weather means lighter and cooler foods. The quintessential summer food for me is ice cream.

I absolutely adore ice cream. What I don’t like about most commercial brands of ice cream is that it’s a little too sweet for my liking and often chemically processed for mass production. So this summer, I decided to purchase an ice cream maker to have a go at creating my perfect scoop.

The custard has to be of the right consistency and that often means using higher fat ingredients. The traditional french ice cream calls for 2 cups of cream, 1 cup of whole milk, and up to 6 egg yolks. I did try making a batch of ice cream with this traditional formula but found it to be too rich for my liking.

The goal was to create an ice cream custard that is healthy and easy to make. After various experiments, I came up with my perfect formula for a healthy low-sugar ice cream. I used chia seeds, which I know is a natural thickener but also full of fibre and protein to thicken up the custard. I used soy milk and flavoured it with a cinnamon stick and coconut sugar. I added 2 tablespoons of vodka to ensure a softer consistency.

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