We can not procrastinate any longer.
We have made three different types of ice cream over the past few weeks and we have been slacking on the blogging. So, we wanted to get this recipes out before the weekend comes so that you can enjoy the hot temperatures with a cool treat!
Last weekend, we went strawberry picking at C.N. Smith Farms in Bridgewater. We came home with dreams of strawberry grandeur; strawberry ice cream, strawberry and rhubarb crumble as well as our favorite Visitandine with Strawberries - Better than Strawberry Shortcake. As much as I like strawberries, if we are making ice cream, we have two ice cream machines, why not make a second batch. Strawberry may be Jeff's favorite but chocolate ice cream is mine!
We have two great ice cream cookbooks, my favorite is the William-Sonoma Ice Cream Cookbook. It has traditional recipes which are great for base flavors like vanilla, chocolate, coffee and strawberry. The reason we are highlighting the chocolate ice cream over the strawberry was because the strawberry ice cream didn't turn out that great. The double chocolate ice cream was made with cream, milk, sugar, egg yolks and cocoa, very similar to a pudding or custard. The strawberry recipe (which was a recipe I found on the internet) had four basic ingredients; cream, sugar, strawberries and vanilla. When we placed the strawberry mixture in the ice cream machine it became light and fluffy, similar to frozen whipped cream. The chocolate was deliciously rich and creamy, the strawberry was light and airy, and the flavor was lacking. We should have stuck with the original recipe from the William-Sonoma book. As much as the strawberry ice cream wasn't anything we wanted to blog about...there were no complaints about either dessert as they magically disappeared at the end of two days.
Since summer officially kicked off today, I Scream, You Scream - Double Chocolate Ice Cream. It takes a bit of work, but worth it in the end!
Adapted from William-Sonoma Ice Cream Cookbook - Double Chocolate Ice Cream
Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups of whole milk
1-1/2 cups of heavy cream
4 large egg yolks
1/2 cup of sugar
A pinch of salt
2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup of bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 teaspoons of vanilla
Preparation:
1. In a heavy sauce pan, combine the milk and 1 cup of the heavy cream. Cook over medium heat until bubble form around the edges of the pan, about 5 minutes.
2. In another small bowl, combine the 1/2 cup of heavy cream with the cocoa, sugar, salt and egg yolks. Whisk until smooth and the sugar begins to dissolve.
3. Remove pan from the heat and gradually whisk 1/2 cup of the milk mixture into the egg yolk mixture. Whisk constantly until smooth. Slowly pour the egg mixture into the saucepan, whisking while pouring until completely blended.
4. Over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon and keeping a low simmer on the custard, cook until the mixture thickens and coats the spoon and leaves a trail when the spoon is run through.
5. Remove from saucepan and place in a heatproof bowl, add the chocolate chips and stir until smooth. Strain the mixture though a fine mesh sieve into a clean bowl. Stir in the vanilla.
6. Place the bowl in a larger bowl, partially filled with ice and water. Stir occasionally until cool. Cover with plastic wrap (pushed against the surface of the custard) and refrigerate for 3-24 hours.
7. Pour chocolate custard into an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions.
8. Transfer into a container, cover and freeze until firm (about 3 hours).
9. Scoop and enjoy!
