Lychee and Ginger Ice Cream
By: Anonymous
Published: Saturday, December 5, 2009 - 2:20am

Ingredients




3 egg whites
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 cups heavy cream
1 can lychees - (1 1/4 lbs) drained, and
roughly chopped
1 cup chopped crystallized (sweet) stem ginger
inch syrup
Grated zest (rind) of 1 orange for garnish

Preparation

1 Beat the egg whites until thick, gradually add the sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Add the cream and continue beating until the mixture is thick and creamy. 2 Add 2 teaspoons of the ginger syrup into the chopped lychees. Gently mix the lychees and ginger into the ice cream mixture and pour into a large (2-quart) flat dish. Cover and freeze. When almost set, take out, beat again, then return to the freezer to set overnight. 3 One hour before serving, place the ice cream in the refrigerator to soften a little. Garnish with the orange zest. 4 This recipe yields 8 to 10 servings. 5 Comments: Southern fruits have always been northern luxuries, and the dainty and exotic lychee, cultivated in southern China since 1700 BC, has quite a history. Stories of the extravagant favorite concubine of an emperor of the Tang dynasty (AD 618-906) tell of relays of exhausted horsemen bringing fresh lychees packed in ice from the South to Changan (now Xian), the capital, to indulge her passion for them. 6 The flesh of the lychee is a translucent pearly white with a texture and flavor similar to a large luscious grape. In this recipe an ancient fruit is married to an ancient recipe - surprisingly, the making of ice cream in China goes back more than 3,000 years.