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Butterfly Pea Ice Cream and Other Recipes

Butterfly pea ice cream is an intriguing and innovative dessert that has captured the attention of culinary enthusiasts worldwide. Derived from the vibrant Asian blue pea flower, this unique ingredient not only imparts a stunning color to dishes but also boasts several health benefits.You can easily learn how to make your own butterfly pea ice cream at home, so you can impress friends and family! Hopefully this information can inspire you to experiment further with butterfly pea flowers in your recipes while exploring innovative ways to incorporate it into your culinary creations.

Butterfly Pea Flower in the Culinary World

The butterfly pea flower is a popular natural food coloring in traditional Asian desserts and drinks due to its vibrant blue color and mild, earthy taste. Blue butterfly pea flower has been used to naturally color ice creams, cocktails, baked goods, and more! Whether it’s in its natural form as a flower, or turned into butterfly pea flower tea, there are so many ways to utilize this resource. It’s a great alternative to chemical dyes, and it’s also vegan, making it a great coloring option for dairy-free ice cream.

Traditional Uses in Chinese and Ayurvedic Medicine

For centuries, butterfly pea flowers have been used in Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine to treat inflammation, pain, and memory loss, thanks to its antioxidant properties.

Health Advantages of Butterfly Pea Flower

Antioxidant-rich: Butterfly pea flowers contain anthocyanins that combat oxidative stress.
Natural remedy: It can alleviate anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders due to its calming effects on the nervous system.
Eyesight improvement: Studies suggest that consuming butterfly pea flower may improve eyesight by increasing blood flow around the eyes.

Adding butterfly pea flower to your dishes not only adds a pop of color but also potential health benefits worth exploring.

Taste Profile & Pairings with Butterfly Pea Flower

The mild and earthy taste of butterfly pea flower makes it perfect for pairing with various flavors, like coconut milk-based dishes such as Thai sticky rice dessert, or lattes infused with steeped tea made from these petals themselves. If you make your own homemade ice cream, you can add butterfly pea flower tea to create a blue pea flower ice cream that stuns a crowd.

Coconut Milk-Based Dishes Featuring Butterfly Pea Flower

Thai blue sticky rice dessert is a well-known dish that incorporates butterfly pea flower, adding a visually appealing touch to this delicious treat while complementing the rich flavor of coconut milk. Other recipes to try are blue panna cotta or a simple yet satisfying bowl of Malaysian black glutinous rice porridge.

Beverage Options Incorporating This Versatile Plant-Based Food Coloring

Lattes: Add steeped butterfly pea flower tea to your favorite latte recipe for an eye-catching drink. Experiment with different types of milk, such as almond or oat, for unique variations.
Cocktails: Impress your guests by incorporating butterfly pea flowers into cocktails like a refreshing gin and tonic or margarita.
Mood-Changing Tea: Combine lemon juice and hot water with butterfly pea flower tea to create a mesmerizing effect as the acidity from the lemon changes the color of your drink.

Health Benefits of Butterfly Pea Flower Ice Cream

Not only does the butterfly pea flower add a pop of vibrant blue to your desserts, but it also packs a punch of antioxidants that can improve your overall well-being, as used in Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine. A recent study on 70 respondents showed high levels of satisfaction towards healthier dessert options containing butterfly pea flowers, with the texture receiving the highest mean score of 4.92 out of 5 points possible.

Experimenting with Butterfly Pea Flower in Recipes

Get creative with butterfly pea flower and add a pop of vibrant blue to your culinary creations while reaping its health benefits.

Using butterfly pea flower as a natural food coloring

Ditch the artificial food colorings and opt for butterfly pea flowers to add a beautiful blue hue to your cakes, cookies, smoothies, and even rice dishes.

Exploring innovative ways to incorporate it into dishes

Cocktails: Infuse cocktails and mocktails with butterfly pea tea or use ice cubes made from the vibrant blue liquid. With their health benefits, butterfly pea flower can be a gorgeous AND beneficial add-in.
Ice Cream: Using blue butterfly pea flower on vanilla ice cream alone can transform a plain ice cream, into a stunning blue pea flower ice cream that will captivate a table. Even use it to dye your whipped cream topping!
Pasta: Make eye-catching noodles by adding butterfly pea flower extract into pasta dough.
Baked goods: Mix extracted dye into batter before baking to make ordinary cupcakes or muffins stand out.
Soups & sauces: Drizzle bright-blue sauce over plates or swirl it through soup bowls for an artistic touch.

Incorporating butterfly pea flower into various recipes not only adds visual appeal but also provides potential health benefits, making it a great addition to any home cook's repertoire.

How to Make Butterfly Pea Flower Ice Cream

Creating your own batch of butterfly pea ice cream is a piece of cake, or should we say, scoop of ice cream? Colorful, homemade custom ice cream is a breeze with butterfly pea flower as a natural coloring.

Traditional Method

Ingredients:

Dried butterfly pea flower
Heavy cream
Whole Milk
Sugar
Salt
Egg yolks
Vanilla extract

Recipe:

Steep 1/4 cup of dried butterfly pea flowers in 1 cup of hot water for 10 minutes to extract the beautiful blue color and mild flavor from the petals.
Combine the heavy cream, whole milk, sugar, salt and strained butterfly pea flower infusion in a saucepan over medium heat until it reaches a gentle simmer.
Whisk six egg yolks until smooth in a separate bowl.
Slowly pour half of the heated mixture into the egg yolks while continuously whisking to temper them without scrambling.
Gradually incorporate the tempered yolk mixture into the saucepan with the remaining liquid and cook on low heat until it thickens enough to coat a spoon (approximately five minutes).
Pour custard through fine mesh strainer into an ice bath or refrigerator-safe container; add one teaspoon vanilla extract before stirring well to incorporate all flavors evenly throughout base mixtures as they cool down completely overnight inside fridge space provided by device used during the churning process.
The next day, churn according to your ice cream maker's instructions, and voila. Your homemade butterfly pea ice cream is ready to be devoured.

Easy Blend and Freeze Method

For an easy, no-churn butterfly pea flower ice cream, try using an ice cream mix like Hijinx. You can now simply blend and freeze your ingredients for a simple, low-effort homemade ice cream.

Ingredients:

1 packet Hijinx ice cream mix
1.5 cups hot water
¼ cup of butterfly pea flowers

Recipe:

Steep 1/4 cup of dried butterfly pea flowers in 1.5 cups of hot water for 10 minutes to extract the beautiful blue color and mild flavor from the petals.
Once vibrant, blend the water with Hijinx mix on high for 2-3 minutes, or until thoroughly combined.
Let the mixture stand for 30 minutes at room temperature.
Cover and freeze for 4-6 hours in an airtight container. Thaw and enjoy!

Other FAQs in Relation to Butterfly Pea Ice Cream

Will Butterfly Pea Flower Flavor my Homemade Ice Cream, Cocktails, or Baked Goods?

Not really. Butterfly pea powder or flowers have a mild earthy taste that will be easily overpowered by additional flavors, making it a great addition to almost any food—sweet or savory.

Who should not drink butterfly pea tea?

Pregnant or breastfeeding women and those taking blood pressure or diabetic medications should avoid consuming butterfly pea tea, due to limited research on its safety during these periods and potential interactions with these drugs.

What are the side effects of butterfly pea flower?

Butterfly pea flower is generally considered safe for consumption, but some individuals may experience mild side effects such as nausea or diarrhea if consumed in large quantities, so caution should be exercised, especially by pregnant or breastfeeding women and those on certain medications.

What are the benefits of blueternate?

Blueternate (another name for butterfly pea flower) offers several health benefits, including antioxidant properties that combat free radicals, anti-inflammatory effects that reduce inflammation-related pain, potential memory-enhancing abilities by increasing acetylcholine levels in the brain, improving cognitive function, and providing a natural food coloring alternative without artificial additives. (source)

Conclusion

Butterfly pea flower is a versatile plant-based food coloring that can be used in beverages too - check out some innovative options. Experimenting with butterfly pea flower can be exciting - use it as a natural food coloring or explore new ways to incorporate it into your dishes.

Butterfly pea ice cream in particular is a great summer dessert that will brighten up a table with its vibrant blue color. Whether you add dried butterfly pea flowers or butterfly pea flower tea, your ice cream will turn into a show-stopping dessert perfect for any occasion.

Give this beautiful blue ingredient a try in your next homemade batch of ice cream and impress your taste buds! Hijinx ice cream mix is an easy staple for DIY homemade ice cream. Simply blend and freeze your butterfly pea flower with Hijinx, water, and any other ingredients you’d like to get