Mint chocolate ice cream
Without a doubt when we go out for ice cream the majority of my family will choose chocolate mint (if it is available). So with all this mint on hand and the warmer weather I set to making it at home. It was such a hit I suspect I will be making a lot of this over summer. The cream and milk is first infused with fresh mint then churned into ice cream with crunchy pieces of chopped chocolate.
I have also included a little olive oil, which reduces ice crystals in homemade ice cream while complementing the fresh mint flavour perfectly. Once you try ice cream with olive oil it is hard to go back, so do give it a go. And remember if you are using an ice cream maker, put the maker bowl in the freezer the day before so it is ultra cold for churning the ice cream.
PREP TIME 30 minutes + 3-4 hours cooling time FREEZE TIME 2.5-5 hours // SERVES 6
500ml (2 cups) cream 250ml (1 cup) milk
5-6 bushy mint sprigs (about 10g) 4 free-range egg yolks
½ cup (100g) sugar
3 tbsp olive oil
Pinch of salt
70g dark or mint chocolate (I used Trade Aid), finely chopped
1. Place the cream and milk into a saucepan. Remove the mint leaves from the stalks, crush in your hand to bruise a little and add to the cream. Heat over a low heat until the cream foams on the surface. Remove from the heat, cover with a lid (to prevent a skin forming) and set aside to infuse for 15-20 minutes.
2. In a large bowl whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, olive oil and salt until thick and emulsified.
3. Strain the infused cream through a sieve into a bowl. Use the back of a spoon to press the mint leaves to extract as much flavour as possible.
4. Pour about ½ cup of the warm cream into the egg mixture, whisking to loosen then pour both of the liquids back into the pan. Over a low heat, stir constantly with a wooden spoon until the custard lightly coats the back of the spoon – about 5 minutes. Don’t let it boil.
5. Pour into a bowl and cool completely – this can be sped up by sitting the bowl in a larger bowl or sink of cold water, whisking occasionally to prevent a skin forming. Cover and chill in the fridge for 3- 4 hours.
6. Once cold, pour the custard into an ice cream maker and churn for 20-25 minutes until thickened. Add the finely chopped chocolate and continue to churn for 2 minutes. Scoop the ice cream into a freezer-safe dish and freeze until firm, about 2 hours.
7. If you don’t have an ice cream maker. Pour the chilled custard into a freeze-safe dish. Freeze for 1 hour then whisk the custard vigorously to break up the ice crystals. Repeat this step twice more adding the chocolate in the last mixing, then freeze for at least 2 hours until solid.
8. To serve, remove the ice cream from the freezer 5-10 minutes before serving to soften for easier scooping. The ice cream can be made ahead of time and frozen for up to 1 month.