Knot Ice Cream

Silken tofu and cashews provide the thickness for this ice cream. (I use two ingredients to create this effect so there’s not enough of either to taste them.) Lecithin granules, made from soybeans, add the egg yolk flavor of French ice cream (lecithin gives egg yolks their flavor and color) while acting as an emulsifier. Liquid stevia (an herbal sweetener that has been used for centuries in Central America) and vegetable glycerin replace the sugar, and the grape seed oil, which has no flavor, replaces the butterfat. Japanese knotweed’s lemon flavor fits so well with lemon juice that even dedicated lovers of conventional ice cream will flip over this dish.

Ingredients:

2 cups Japanese knotweed shoots or rhubarb
1/4 cup silken tofu, drained
1/4 cup raw cashews
21/2 cups soy milk or nut milk
1/4 cup grape seed oil or canola oil
1/4 cup vegetable glycerin, barley malt, or honey
1 tsp. liquid stevia (available in health food stores)
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. lemon extract
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup lecithin granules
1 T lemon juice
1 tsp. lemon extract

Directions:

1. Steam the Japanese knotweed in a covered saucepan over low heat for 10 minutes or until tender. No water is necessary.

2. Puree with remaining ingredients in a blender.

2. Chill, pour into an ice cream machine, and freeze according to the manufacturer’s directions.

Makes 5-1/2 cups

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Knot Soup
Knotweed Sherbet
Steamed Knotweed Sesame
Strawberry-Knotweed Cobbler