GREEN + GOLD pandan gelato with coconut jam sandwiches

The theme for this post is Green + Gold, to celebrate my friend, Duc's soon-to-be granted Australian citizenship. A very well fitted theme, I thought, as his ice cream of choice is Pandan (which is known for its amazing radio-active green colour!)

For those who have yet to try Pandan, I urge you to drop whatever it is you're holding and try a Pandan gelato (or a Pandan chiffon cake) right away! Pandan is a leaf used heavily in South-East Asian cuisine. Its subtle flavour makes it comparable as the 'Asian Vanilla'. 

Pandan goes perfectly with coconut flavours, which leads me to the coconut jam sandwiches. I used coconut biscuits with Kaya jam (coconut and egg-based) to make little dipping sandwiches. For my friend's gift, I layered the sandwiches and gelato - like a tiramisu. 

I doubled the amount of ingredients to make 2 batches and took a few shortcuts (I just used Pandan extract, not the actual Pandan leaves and used pre-made Kaya jam) - only because I had hungry customers waiting! And also, this recipe can be used to make a Vanilla Gelato - just replace the Pandan with a vanilla bean and extract. This recipe was based on this Vanilla Ice Cream recipe by David Lebovitz.

Green + Gold 
a pandan gelato, with coconut jam sandwiches

Makes about 2 litres

Ingredients:
2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 cups cream
2 pinches of salt
8 pandan leaves, each tied in a knot (I left this out and it still had a good pandan flavour)
12 egg yolks
1 tsp pandan extract

For the coconut jam sandwiches:
kaya jam (I used a jar, but try this recipe if you're keen to DIY)
coconut biscuits

Method (Gelato):

• Combine the milk, sugar, 1 cup of the cream, and salt in a medium saucepan and heat on medium-high temperature on the stove. 
• Stir until the sugar dissolves and when you see steam from the mixture, remove from the heat.
• Optional: Place the pandan leaves in the cream mixture. Cover with a lid and let the cream absorb the flavour for about 30 minutes.
• Whisk egg yolks in large mixing bowl and pour cream mixture slowly whilst whisking.
• Add mixture back into a clean saucepan and reheat over medium heat, whilst constantly stirring until it thickens for about 5 minutes. Be careful not to overcook!
• Strain the mixture into the leftover cups of cream and add Pandan extract, being careful to mix thoroughly.
• Cool mixture in fridge (or freezer if you can't wait!) then churn in your ice cream maker.

Method (Coconut Jam Sandwiches):

• Spread kaya jam generously onto a coconut biscuit.
• Add another biscuit on top. And voila, a coconut sandwich!
• Layer the coconut sandwiches and gelato into a serving bowl or serve the sandwiches on the side.