Monday, September 6, 2010

The Best Chocolate Ice Cream You've Ever Tasted

...According to my mum and dad.


Photobucket

The weather's been acting like fall here, which I love. School's started again (senior year! So close!) and there's that wonderful September sun and crispness in the air. It's the perfect temperature, too, not hot like the 90+ days we had in August and not yet quite cold. In other words, excellent ice cream making weather: not so cold that no one wants to eat it, but not so hot that it melts while it's churning (which happened to me last time I made ice cream. Phooey).

I made this ice cream last night because I needed to use up some ganache, egg yolks, and cream we had in the fridge. A great use of leftovers, apparently, because my parents not only ate their little bowls of ice cream when it was ready, but also took it upon themselves to lick the ice cream machine and spatulas clean.


Photobucket


There are my parents "cleaning up"...and Riley in the middle, ever hopeful.

My friend helped me make the crème anglaise base for this, and we spent our time in the kitchen stirring, boiling, and dancing (very attractively, I assure you) to Lady Gaga. It was probably the most fun I've ever had making ice cream.

Your Baking Soundtrack for Chocolate Ice Cream:
The Fame Monster, Lady Gaga
True story, this is what we listened to while making the ice cream, and I think a little of that wonderful crazy ended up in the dessert. It's fitting, also, because she was in town last night, though I'm broke and tickets were ridiculously expensive. So no Gaga for me, but plenty of chocolate ice cream.


Photobucket


Chocolate Ice Cream
Slightly adapted from The Secrets of Baking, by Sherry Yard

Ingredients
3 cups cream
1 cup whole milk
8 egg yolks, chilled
1 cup sugar
A tiny pinch of salt
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 tablespoon clear apricot or citrus jam
1/2 cup cream

Combine the cream and jam in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil.
Pour over the chocolate, using a heatproof bowl.
Allow to stand for a minute, then gently mix with a spatula until the ganache is uniform in color. Set aside.
Prepare an ice bath. Fill a large bowl about 1/3 of the way up with ice.
Combine the milk and cream in a medium saucepan and scrape in the contents of the vanilla bean, adding the pod as well.
Bring to a simmer over medium heat.
Remove from the heat and cover with plastic wrap for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, whisk together the yolks, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl.
Remove the plastic wrap from the saucepan and return the mixture to a simmer over medium heat.
Remove from the heat and spoon 1/2 cup of the hot cream mixture into the yolk mixture, whisking the yolks all the while to temper them.
Pour this mixture into the hot cream, whisking constantly and using a spatula to get all of the yolks into the saucepan.
Over low heat, cook the cream-yolk mixture until it reaches 170F or until you can run a finger down the back of the spatula and leave a clear trail through the sauce.
Set the medium bowl in the ice bath.
Using a fine-mesh strainer, strain the mixture into the medium bowl.
While the ice cream base is still warm, stir in the ganache.
Refrigerate the mixture for at least two hours, until thoroughly chilled (you may also chill it overnight).
Freeze in an ice cream machine according to manufacturers' directions.
It will be very soft right after churning. Quickly fold in the chocolate chips and cherries.
Freeze for about four hours, until firm enough to scoop.

11 comments:

  1. What a great way to use up some leftovers - I usually lack inspiration and waste so many things. LOL at Riley - I love how dogs never tire of wanting a piece of the action. Hmm, The Fame Monster as a baking soundtrack - must take that one up.

    ReplyDelete
  2. That ice cream must have been a wonderful treat, especially considering what it has been made from! YUM!!!! You have reminded me about my chocolate ice cream that I haven't made in a good long while, I will need to fix that!

    ReplyDelete
  3. It sure looks delicious! With those amazing ingredients I'm sure it's the best!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Mmmmmm.....Ice cream!! I don't mind having ice cream at any time of the year, no matter how cold it is- eventhough I'm terribly sensitive to the cold! This sounds delicious too- and how perfect is it that you had ganache, cream AND egg yolks to use up?!?! heheh.....if only things could work out that good for me =)

    Your holidays sounds like they lasted pretty long....it seems like a while ago that you said you'd finished all your exams and started holildays! Or maybe that's because I'm still stuck at school......haha. But I'll be done soon- just a little over a month to go! I think I'll really miss high school though.....Enjoy your last year!

    ReplyDelete
  5. That ice-cream sounds yummy! And what could be more fun that making ice-cream to Lada Gaga? Love her songs.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Ice cream is always a great go to for using up egg yolks and homemade always tastes sooooo good. Funny I can picture you all dancing it up.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I'm sure that lil dsh of Lady Gaga made this ice cream taste great! I looks totally FAB!!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Its getting warmer here, I'd love some homemade icecream. This sounds amazing, I wish I had a icecream machine. Your parents cleaning up is so cute.

    ReplyDelete
  9. You must be a very thoughtful friend- to plan birthday cakes a month in advance!! haha....I 'plan' them usually a week before...hehe =) Anyways, in answer to your question, the pound cake is definitely firm enough for stacking! But the loaf I got out of the recipe was kinda small (or maybe that was because I gobbled it all down really quickly!) so you'd probably have to double the recipe or something if you want to sculpt something =D

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thanks for stopping by my blog! I thought I'd return the favor! Your desserts look delicous! I'm a sucker for chocolate ice cream anytime! (And your macarons are awesome looking! I'm just getting the hang of them!)

    ReplyDelete
  11. This looks divine! I will be your Mum and Dad are right on the mark!

    ReplyDelete