Dark Chocolate Ice Cream

We hosted an ice cream social tonight.  Usually when I think of ice cream socials, I think of small towns and Baptist churches.  It may be because I grew up in a small town and attended a Baptist church...you know, just a hunch.  🙂

This ice cream social was combined with a game night with our small group from church.  Can I tell you we had a blast?  And, not just because I got to shove my face with delicious ice cream sundaes!  I have to attribute some of the fun to the girls winning over the guys in Catch Phrase!

Although I served store-bought ice cream tonight (and then everyone brought toppings to share), it reminded me that I have yet to share this amazing creamy chocolate homemade ice cream recipe with you.  It's another one from David Lebovitz (I shall not stray away!).  You can still get away with making this Basic Chocolate Ice Cream recipe I posted a while back, it will satisfy your immediate crave, but if you truly want a treat, I suggest this one instead.  It's dark chocolate overpowers any stamina you may have to not lick the bowl!

Don't be intimidated with custard-based ice cream.  It really isn't all that much work.  It's definitely a little more time consuming than the basic recipes supplied in your machine's instruction manual, but so worth it!

I took half of the finished ice cream and made some Rocky Road.  Ben loved it!

Dark Chocolate Ice Cream

Printable Recipe

2 cups heavy cream
3 tablespoon unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
5 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup whole milk
¾ cup sugar
pinch of salt
5 large egg yolks
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, use a whisk to stir 1 cup of the cream with the cocoa powder, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer at a very low boil for 30 seconds, making sure to whisk constantly. Immediately remove from the heat. Stir in the chopped chocolate.  Once smooth, stir in the remaining cream and pour into a large bowl.  Set a mesh strainer on top of the bowl; set aside.

In the same saucepan, warm the milk, sugar, and salt. Using a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Working slowly to avoid cooking the eggs, pour the warm milk into the egg yolks, whisking constantly.  Pour the egg yolk mixture back into the saucepan.

Using a heatproof spatula, stir the mixture constantly over medium heat until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula. Pour the custard through the strainer and stir it into the chocolate mixture until smooth. Stir in the vanilla and then cool over an ice bath, while stirring.

Chill the mixture thoroughly in the fridge, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's directions.

Source: Adapted from The Perfect Scoop, David Lebovitz