08 | August | 2014 | Michael's Woodcrafts

Oh My Gosh…MMM… this dark chocolate ice cream is the best ever! The taste is unbelievably rich, silky, creamy and taste like a chocolate truffle! The is the best homemade chocolate ice cream I have every had!

And now the bad news: it takes a week to make. I know, I know, why do I have to wait 5 days, I just spend an hour and a half making the custard, is it really necessary to wait that long?!? Let me tell you it is worth the planning and waiting! 🙂 Here is how it breaks down;

Day 1 and 2 – make custard and then chill in fridge for 2 days

End of day 2 – make ice cream

Day 3, 4 and 5 – freeze for 3 days

Let’s get started!!

This is the ST. JOHN DARK CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM recipe – from ‘Beyond Nose to Tail’ by Fergus Henderson and Justin Piers Gellatly

Ingredients
7 oz. dark chocolate 72 – 74% caca0, finely chopped
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons whole milk
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
6 large egg yolks
13 tablespoons caster sugar, divided
1/4 cup heavy cream
Serving size: 1 quart

This recipe took me nearly and hour and a half to finish, not including making the ice cream in the ice cream maker! Take your time, read thru the recipe several times so you don’t make a mistake.

Melt Chocolate, chop chocolate and place into bowl. Then melt the chocolate either in a bowl over a simmering pot of water or in a microwave in 45 second burst but be sure to do this at 50% power. I prefer the microwave, you will need to also stir between heating’s until smooth. The set aside until needed, it will cool slightly.

Heat Milk mixture – Heat the milk and the cocoa in a medium heavy saucepan over medium heat, whisk to blend the cocoa into the milk and bring to a boil, remove from heat and set aside.

Mix egg yolks – Using your mixer, whip the egg yolks and 7 tablespoons caster sugar on high until thick, pale color and thick ribbons form. This will take about 3 minutes.

Temper the eggs by whisking constantly and gradually adding the hot milk cocoa mixture until combined.

Combine egg mixture and chocolate – Return this mixture to your saucepan and whisk in the melted chocolate until combined. Place saucepan on low heat until slightly thickened and a thermometer reaches 175°F which should take about 5minutes. Stir constantly to prevent sticking, especially in the corners.

Transfer the chocolate custard to a bowl and place over an ice bath to cool. Stir until custard is cool.

Making the caramel – Now you are ready to make the caramel, bring the remaining 6 tablespoons of caster sugar and 2 tablespoons of water to a boil in a small heavy saucepan over medium-high heat, stiring only until the sugar is dissolved. After sugar is dissolved, only occasionally swirl pan, do not stir until a dark amber color forms, about 5 minutes. Now you are ready to add the cream, be careful because the mixture will bubble.

Remove from heat and whisk caramel into the chocolate custard. Then strain into a large container that will be used in the fridge for a couple of days while the mixture infuses all the flavors.

Chocolate mixture in the ice bath ready to be strained. Once strained into another container please in the fridge (not the freezer) for 2 days. It is worth the wait!!