Yield: approximately 1 quart

Wheeler del Torro, founder and owner of Wheeler’s Frozen Dessert Company in Boston, is a genius. If you love ice cream–and not just sorbet–are vegan, lactose intolerant, or just in search of a healthier alternative, and don’t want to spend a day’s pay on a pint of the stuff, his new book The Vegan Scoop is a must-have. Beautiful, hip, well-designed and well-written, this book contains just the right amount of information in addition to seductive color photos and 150 of his creative recipes. With many cookbooks, the preface is skipable. But you will want to savor this one in which del Torro recounts his delightful journey to frozen fame in a personal, but succinct, way.

The base for many, if not most, of Wheeler’s ice creams is a cup of soy or other vegan milk, 2 cups of soy creamer, 2 tablespoons of arrowroot (a natural starchy thickener) and 3/4 cup of sugar. From there, go anywhere using his incredibly diverse recipes or ones of your own devise. You will scarcely believe how smooth and creamy the end results will be because the arrowroot thickens the base and, more importantly, reduces the formation of ice crystals.

My concoction, inspired by Wheeler, emerged from my Cuisinart electric ice cream maker almost identical to a firm soft serve. Perfection! Even better, a day later, it had not iced up, but remained silky smooth. I feel as though I’ve found the Holy Grail.

1/4 cup unsweetened soy milk
2 tablespoons arrow root powder
1 1/2 cups coconut milk, shaken well (you can add a whole 13.5 ounce can–about 1 2/3 cups–I just didn’t have a full can)
1 1/4 cups soy creamer
3/4 cup sugar
1 stick cinnamon, broken in half (optional, but it imparts a subtle layer of flavor)
1 vanilla bean
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

In a small bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup soy milk with arrowroot powder until smooth. Set aside. Pour next three ingredients into a small-medium saucepan, stir to combine, and add optional cinnamon stick halves. With a sharp paring knife, slit the vanilla bean lengthwise. Using the tip of the knife scrape out seeds into the milk mixture. Place over medium heat and, bring just to a boil. Remove from heat and quickly whisk in soy milk-arrowroot mixture until very smooth. Add vanilla extract. Allow to cool to room temperature, whisk again if lumps remain, and then cover and refrigerate several hours or overnight. Remove cinnamon stick halves, whisk to remove any remaining lumps, and freeze according to your ice cream maker’s instructions. Scrape into an airtight container and store in freezer.