Agave Ice Cream with Saguaro Syrup

I've been working on replacing sugar in many of the recipes that my family enjoys. My home made ice cream is one of their favorites, so I wanted to see what would happen if I replaced the sugar with agave syrup.

When I added the agave syrup to the cream and egg mixture, the thickness of the liquid disappeared. Once it was blended in the ice cream maker, the mixture didn't whip up as high and fluffy as ice cream with sugar. It froze into a texture that was like ice milk and scooped nicely.

How did it taste? The ice cream had sweet fruity overtones and a hint of vanilla. We didn't miss the flavor or texture that sugar gives at all. My family thought this was a nice ice cream and one to keep around.

My husband and I tried topping our ice cream off with some saguaro syrup. The saguaro syrup (bahidaj) was a wonderful treat I got from my family for Mother's Day. They bought it from Native Seeds/SEARCH. Saguaro syrup is made from the fruit of the saguaro cactus. The Tohono O'odham tribe have been harvesting saguaro fruits for centuries. You can read more about they make saguaro syrup from this Tucson Weekly article.

Recipe

1 1/2 cups half and half
1 cup whipping cream
1 Tb vanilla
3 eggs
1/3 cup + 1 Tb agave syrup

Beat the three eggs in a large mixing bowl. Pour in the whipping cream and half and half then blend. Add the vanilla and agave syrup. You may need to scrape some of the agave syrup away from the bottom of the bowl.

Process the mixture according to your ice cream maker or ice cream attachment. For the Kitchen Aid ice cream attachment, process the mixture for 25 minutes. Transfer to a freezer safe container and allow it to chill for 3-4 hours before serving.

Enjoy!