Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream


I'm back! Wow...last week was stressful! The Bake Sale was a huge success & I am so relieved it's over! I will have loads of sweet treats coming your way in the next few weeks.
This one had nothing to do with the bake sale. But, I made it a few weeks ago, after I finally broke down & bought an ice cream maker. I saw them at Costco, too cheap to resist.
An ice cream maker is one of those kitchen appliances that I was hesitant to purchase, as it takes up space & how often do you really use it? But, I figured with summer coming & 2 young kids in the house...it would be fun to have.
This is my first attempt at making ice cream. I went for Mint Chocolate Chip as it's the Bozo's favorite flavor. After browsing the internet, looking for a yummy recipe, I found one on Simply Recipes that looked fantastic. There were loads of variations out there, using food coloring & peppermint extract. But, this was one of the few that was made with real mint.
After making it, I was a bit worried that my kids wouldn't go for it, because it had a *real* mint, kind of earthy flavor about it. Something they have never had from store bought ice cream. But, they loved it. Like all ice cream, it's a bit of a process...so, plan ahead.

Begin by placing 3 cups of packed mint leaves in a medium saucepan.
Add 1 cup of milk & 1 cup of heavy cream. It will seem as though there isn't enough milk, but the mint will cook down.

Heat until just steaming {do not boil}, remove from the heat & let it stand for 30 minutes.

Then, heat again until just steaming, remove from the heat & let stand for 15 minutes. While the mint is infusing, prepare a large bowl with lots if ice & cold water.

Pour 1 cup of heavy cream in a second bowl & place it over the ice bath. Leave it there, while you finish preparing the rest of the ice cream.
When the mint is finished resting, drain it through a sieve, over a bowl. Press down on the leaves to extract as much liquid as possible.

Return the minty milk back to the saucepan & add 2/3 cups sugar & a pinch of salt.
Heat until just steaming & remove from the heat.

Add 6 large egg yolks to a mixing bowl. Whisk them up. Then, slowly pour the hot mint cream into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, so that the eggs do not cook.

Scrape back into the saucepan. Warm the mixture over medium heat & stir constantly with a wooden spoon, until thickened {about 10 minutes}. When the mixture can coat the spoon & when you run a finger across it leaves a line...it's done.

Pour the custard through a sieve into the cold cream that has been sitting over the ice bath, to stop the cooking. Chill the mixture in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Or, leave it over the ice bath, stirring occasionally, until chilled thoroughly {about 20 minutes}.
Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker & freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Mine ran for about 30 minutes.

Once it's done, it will still be fairly soft. Stir in 8 ounces of mini semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Transfer to a quart container & freeze for a few hours, until firm. Since this recipe contains no vanilla, or alcohol, it will harden within a few days...so, be sure to eat it up!

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Adapted from Simply Recipes
Makes 1 quart

3 cups packed fresh mint leaves {no stems}
1 cup milk {whole, or lowfat}
2 cups heavy cream {divided}
2/3 cups sugar
a pinch of salt
6 large egg yolks
8 ounces semi-sweet mini chocolate chips

Put the mint leaves, the milk & 1 cup of heavy cream in a medium saucepan & heat until just steaming {do not bring to a boil}. Remove the pot from the heat & let the mixture stand for 30 minutes. Reheat the mixture, again until just steaming, remove from heat & let stand 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, fill a large bowl with lots of ice & cold water. Pour the remaining cup of cream in a smaller bowl & set it on top of the ice bath to chill.
Strain the mint infused milk through a sieve, into a bowl. Press on the mint leaves to extract as much liquid as possible. Return the minty milk back to the saucepan & add the sugar & salt. Heat until just steaming & remove from the heat.
Whisk the egg yolks in a bowl & slowly pour the hot minty cream into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, so that the eggs do not cook. Scrape back into the saucepan. Warm the mixture over medium heat & stir constantly with a wooden spoon, until thickened {about 10 minutes}. When the mixture can coat the back of the spoon, and when you run a finger across it, it leaves a line, it's done.
Pour the custard through a sieve into the cold cream, that has been sitting over the ice bath, to stop the cooking. Chill the mixture in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Or, leave it over the ice bath, stirring occasionally, until chilled thoroughly {about 20 minutes}. Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker & freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Once it's done, it will still be fairly soft. Stir in the chocolate & transfer to a quart container & freeze for a few hours, until firm.
Click here for the printable recipe.

4 comments:

Rebecca said...

Mint Chip Ice Cream.... MY FAVORITE!!!

Anonymous said...

we made mint custard two days ago using David Lebovitz's recipe, and it's so incredibly delicious. the first night we chopped up a couple dark chocolate chips for the top. last night it was perfect plain. a good summer dessert!

cheers,

*heather*

Anonymous said...

Nothing is more refreshing on hot summer day than mint chip ice cream. Your presentation of the recipe is beautifully done!

I used to use a Cuisinart but my friends converted me to a White Mountain hand crank. It's more work but the kids love to help. Here's an interesting article I found that might be helpful to anyone thinking about a larger machine.
http://worldvillage.com/the-white-mountain-ice-cream-freezer-then-and-now

joyce said...

I can't believe you even make your own ice cream!!
-chasingjamesbeard.com

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