Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Perfect Mint Chip Ice Cream

So I know I always claim to not appreciate ice cream much, but all of those weak protestations went out the window last weekend when I was confronted with this:

Homemade Mint Chip Ice Cream. Oh yes.

And this wasn't mint from a bottle, mind you, this was huge handfuls of fresh mint, infused into the milk and cream mixture for a full hour.
I swear, my kitchen smelled like a spring garden when this was done infusing. The taste of fresh mint is so unlike mint extract, I wonder how I was conned into using the bottled stuff for so long.

So after the custard was made, chilled, and churned in the ice cream maker, the fun REALLY began. One of my favorite things about this recipe was the fun, creative method of forming the chocolate "chips." In past mint chip attempts, I've simply used chopped chocolate, which always leaves me gnawing on ice-cold chocolate boulders and praying for the integrity of my molars. This recipe was entirely different.

Step 1: melt chocolate and place it into a Ziploc with a tiny hole cut in the corner. Squiggle some melted chocolate into the ice cream storage container.
Smooth a thin layer of mint ice cream on top of the melted chocolate.

Drizzle more melted chocolate on top of the ice cream. Don't be stingy, you want to use up all the chocolate!

The chocolate will start to freeze and harden right away, so immediately take a spoon and stir around the top, breaking up the strands and forming little chocolate shards that get embedded into the ice cream.

Lather, rinse, repeat several times, until you've used up all of the ice cream and all of the melted chocolate. Aside from being really fun to do, this method produces perfect little strands of chocolate throughout the ice cream that are never too chunky or hard.

After another quick chill in the freezer, this ice cream was perfect. Rich, smooth, full-flavored, redolent of cooling mint, and the earth, and rich bittersweet chocolate.


I wish this was my recipe, believe me. But I actually got it from David Lebovitz, whose recipes have yet to let me down. You can find it on his blog. Bon appetit, my overheated, ice cream loving friends!

17 comments:

  1. Man, this ice cream recipe is calling out to me. What is it about the start of hot weather and mint choc chip ice cream popping up everywhere?

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  2. oh. my. word.

    i declare it mint ice cream day, nay YEAR based on this post. my benadryl induced sleep is no longer as i DREAM for this ice cream. (or maybe it's the benadryl speaking)

    seriously, bring on the mint challenge, I can't wait to try it!

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  3. Oh, lovely! What type of mint did you use? I have spearmint growing in my front yard, but there is probably a more appropriate variety...

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  4. It's one of my favourites!!!

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  5. Great mind, Liz. I just made my own (no egg) version of fresh mint ice cream and posted it last week. I made mine even before DL's post, but saw that he did the same thing. LOVE the fresh taste, this ice cream really is fantastic. You, me, DL--we are all smarties, I tell ya. ;) hehe

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  6. Rachel, I think spearmint sounds awesome! I just used mint from the farmer's market and to be honest I'm not sure what variety it was. Um, I think the Latin name was yummius mintus. :)

    Jane, you'll have to come on over next time we have some!

    And Katrina, you don't have to tell ME how brilliant we are, mwahaha. You especially!

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  7. Your ice cream looks fantastic!

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  8. Wow, I was looking for advice on mint-chip like this just last week! All I could find was extract recipes. Way to be totally awesome!

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  9. Anonymous5:31 PM

    That's the most awesome idea for adding the "chips" to the ice cream! I love having chocolate pieces, but not really big frozen ones.

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  10. yum, that looks amazing!

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  11. What a great set of photos for the straciatella! Really wonderful how-to.

    Also, I don't think I've ever seen anything as lovely as seeing that mint steeping in cream. Because I can tell how good it would be.

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  12. Oh my!! This looks delicious, I love mint ice cream :)

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  13. Anonymous1:51 PM

    Could you please share your recipe for the mint ice cream? This looks amazing!

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  14. Lather rinse and repeat! I love how you just switch gears in the middle of cooking descriptions. I sit in front of my computer screen giggling and then my chair starts squeaking because I jiggle when I giggle. Before I know it I am snorting and having a rip roaring laugh with the dogs and family looking at me sideways, wondering if I have flipped my lid! Thank you!

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  15. Yum! I just published a David Lebovitz's ice cream today and agree - he always comes through. I'll have to try this technique for adding chocolate 'chips' to my ice creams.

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