Olive oil ice cream with blood oranges, inspired by these olive oil recipes, recently found its way to our kitchen with our first bottles of fresh, raw milk for the year. In this recipe for olive oil ice cream, the inclusion of a good quality unrefined, extra virgin olive oil is essential. The flavor of a good olive oil lingers, enhanced by fruity notes and an almost floral perfume. It is fresh and vibrant. Good quality olive oils are available in specialty food stores, health food stores and online (see sources).
In my version of olive oil ice cream is further complemented by the inclusion of blood oranges, though any orange should do. Blood oranges, with their customarily maroon-colored flesh, offer a unique flavor profile that is decidedly more complex than that of standard oranges. A good blood orange is tart, sweet and imbued by subtle floral notes which make it a nice pairing for olive oil - especially in this recipe for olive oil ice cream. Now that winter has receded, blood oranges are at the end of their season, finding a good blood orange may prove challenging. Indeed, the oranges at my store lacked the brilliant deep red flesh I'd hoped for and, instead, revealed an orange flesh speckled by dots of maroon. Nevertheless, that classic blood orange flavor remained and flavor, after all, is the key to a good dish. When selecting blood oranges for this olive oil ice cream, try to find those with the ruddiest rind as the redder the rind of the orange, the redder the flesh is likely to be.
Olive oil ice cream, like all the ice cream recipes posted here at Nourished Kitchen, highlights fresh, raw and minimally processed ingredients: fresh cream, fresh milk, raw honey, raw fruit and raw egg yolk - undoubtedly a food safety fanatic's nightmare. Years of adherence to a diet based on traditional foods, has removed any fear of raw food from our hearts, and we consume raw foods including many raw animal foods (oh ... steak tartar how you call to me!) with fair regularity. That is not to say that we're raw foods enthusiasts - we're not. Some foods are more nutrient-dense when served cooked. This olive oil ice cream is not one of them, however.
This olive oil ice cream, enriched by raw egg yolks from pasture-raised hens, is rich buttery yellow and dotted with bright orange segments. Of course, where there's color, there's nutrients. Fresh, raw egg yolks - especially when sourced from pasture-raised hens - is a potently rich source of biotin, a B vitamin known for its essential role in skin, hair and fetal development, making it an especially important nutrient for expectant mothers or for those who are trying to conceive. Raw egg yolk, particularly from pasture-raised hens, is also a good source of retinol or preformed vitamin A, a fat-soluble nutrient with far-reaching beneficial effects on human health.
Olive oil ice cream, as its name implies, also contains unrefined, extra virgin olive oil as a primary ingredient. While olive oil undoubtedly brings a unique charm to ice cream, it also imbues this nourishing dessert with naturally occurring antioxidants and fat-soluble vitamins like vitamin E - a vitamin that is relatively difficult to come by in the standard American diet - at least in its natural form. These nutrients are further enhanced by the addition of blood orange - a food rich in vitamin C and various minerals.
Monika says
This looks yummy! I might just try that, even though I generally don't like the taste of olives, but the blood oranges mixed in sound delicious.
By the way, do you have a basic ice cream recipe that could be used to add whatever flavours tickle my fancy? I had been thinking about cinnamon ice cream (tasted it once at a restaurant, with a plum compote, it was heavenly), and various berry and fruit variations. Also, it's maple season here, so I was thinking of trying out a maple syrup ice cream, but I don't really know what sort of ratio of basic ingredients is needed. (PS: I have a cuisinart 2 qt ice cream maker)
corinne says
Recipes and tutorials please
corinne says
Would you recommend mixing via food processor vs whisking
Primal Toad says
My birthday is coming up... May 11! I need a whole, natural, real food, primal dessert... this might be a winner!!
Cibaria Oils says
Gorgeous - this recipe looks delicious! Who would have thought.. Olive oil ice cream? Thanks for sharing!
Heather Thalwitzer says
YUM! The recipe turned-out pretty well. I would maybe puree oranges in the future... or just add them as needed. I served it with some strawberries and chocolate sauce to make it extra special. The baby even LOVES it!
Amber says
This sounds amazing!!
What type of ice cream maker do you use? We bought one recently and it didn't work well at all.
We had to return it. So sad, since nothing is better than homemade ice cream.
Heather Thalwitzer says
PS- your blood oranges might have only been speckly because they were grown in Florida. Only blood oranges grown in Italy will yield the truly solid dark, maroon fruits. Mine are from Florida, so speckly, but just as yummy!
Heather Thalwitzer says
Are you hungry? Because I've got this churning right now! Luckily I recently acquired raw cream, raw local honey, and local, organic blood oranges... and I got organic olive oil as a Christmas gift... so, perfect to use-up all my ingredients.
I'm using 4 small, whole eggs I got from local, pastured chickens, though. I keep tasting it before it's finished. It's so yum!
Thanks for posting! I might not have been productive this morning if it wasn't for your culinary inspiration.
Dana says
We have access here to a dairy that sells grass-fed, low-temp pasteurized milk and it is *wonderful.*
I had a thought that if I ever got hardcore into making butter and cultured cream, I could do it by inoculating my whole milk with buttermilk culture, then making the butter or separating the cream. Traditional buttermilk is skim, the only skim milk I personally could recommend on account of its probiotic benefits and its utility in soaking grains for baking.
I probably should do that anyway since it's not the easiest thing for me to obtain raw milk right now.
We have a local ice cream maker who has in the past made a flavor with olive oil in it. I forget what else, but it tasted awesome.
Jessie says
Jenny - recipe looks fabulous. I'd never have thought about olive oil ice cream before.
Just a note about when milk isn't in season - you could make coconut milk ice cream. The Nourishing Gourmet blog has several coconut milk based ice cream recipes. http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com
Jenny says
Mary -
When milk isn't in season, we simply don't drink it. It lasts only two to three months, really and when fresh milk comes back into season, those first few bottles are such a pleasure. We still consume raw cheese. If doing without doesn't work for your family, I'd recommend a vat-pasteurized, grass-fed milk such as Farmers All Natural Creamery.
Blessings -
Jenny
Anna says
Just to let you know, Farmers All Natural Creamery is rebranding as Kolona Supernatural.
Jenny says
Oh! I was wondering who the new guys were.
Alex says
Oh my goodness this looks so good i tweeted it! 🙂
Mary-- The Yellow Door Paperie says
When you can't get raw milk, because it's out of season, what kind of milk do you buy?
Jessica @ How Sweet says
Looks absolutely fabulous. Yum!