Chocolate Ice Cream

This chocolate ice cream is the first custard-based ice cream that I’ve made. There are two types of ice cream. The first is custard-based ice cream, which involves cooking a custard made with egg yolks on the stove. The second type is much simpler to make, because you only need to mix milk or cream with sugar and the other ingredients before freezing the ice cream in your ice cream maker.

I have made and enjoyed both types of ice cream. The main difference in taste is that custard-based tastes much richer and creamier. I am excited to try making other flavors of custard-based ice creams- maybe vanilla or butterscotch pecan next?

We loved this chocolate ice cream. It is super rich, thick and creamy- perfect for those times when you want to indulge in a rich chocolatey dessert!

Chocolate Ice Cream

Makes about 1 quart

Ingredients:

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 5 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 cup whole milk
• 3/4 cup sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 5 large egg yolks
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Warm 1 cup of the cream with the cocoa powder in a medium saucepan, whisking to thoroughly blend the cocoa. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer at a very low boil for 30 seconds, whisking constantly. Remove from the heat and add the chopped chocolate, stirring until smooth. Then stir in the remaining 1 cup cream. Pour the mixture into a large bowl, scraping the saucepan as thoroughly as possible, and set a mesh strainer on top of the bowl.
2. Warm the milk, sugar, and salt in the same saucepan. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm milk into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.
3. Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you sir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula. (The temperature on an instant-read thermometer should read 170-175 degrees F.) Pour the custard though the strainer and stir it into the chocolate mixture until smooth, then stir in the vanilla. Stir until cool over an ice bath.
4. Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions. (If the cold mixture is too thick to pour into your machine, whisk it vigorously to thin it out.)

Recipe from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz