In Thailand, mangoes often appear on the table for dessert — served both on their own and incorporated into a sweetened sticky rice. If you can't get your hands on really good mangoes, you'll find that canned mango purée delivers the best flavor for this ice cream. However, many canned brands taste like peaches, so we recommend Ratna brand, which uses Alphonso mangoes, an Indian cultivar renowned for its bright orange flesh and very intense flavor. Ka-Me brand is a runner-up — the recipe will work fine, but the color and flavor will not be as intense.
Active time: 45 min Start to finish: 17 3/4 hr (includes chilling and freezing)
Ice cream can be made 3 days ahead.
Recipe information
Yield
Makes about 1 1/2 quarts
Ingredients
Special Equipment
Preparation
Step 1
Stir together mango purée, coconut milk, cream, corn syrup, lemon juice, and vanilla in a bowl until combined well.
Step 2
Bring milk just to a boil in a 2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan. Whisk together yolks, sugar, and a large pinch of salt in a bowl, then add hot milk in a stream, whisking. Pour custard into saucepan and cook over moderately low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, until it registers 170 to 175°F on thermometer, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat, then stir in mango mixture until combined well.
Step 3
Pour custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl (to remove any strings from mango), discarding solids, and cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally. Chill custard, covered, until very cold, about 4 hours.
Step 4
Freeze custard in ice cream maker. Transfer ice cream to an airtight container and put in freezer to harden, at least 12 hours.
