Fresh Mint and Dark Chocolate Custard Ice Cream
Inspired by techniques from Serious Eats and America's Test Kitchen.
A deep chocolate custard ice cream made the classic French way, but with fresh mint steeped into the dairy and chopped dark chocolate folded through at the end. Cool, herbal and properly chocolatey.
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Method
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Equipment
- ice-cream maker
- medium heavy saucepan
- heatproof bowl
- whisk
- silicone spatula
- probe thermometer
- fine sieve
- large bowl of iced water
- freezer container with lid
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 453 kcal |
| Protein | 6.5 g |
| Carbohydrate | 31.9 g |
| of which sugars | 25.7 g |
| of which free sugars | 22.3 g |
| Fat | 34.5 g |
| of which saturates | 20.5 g |
| Fibre | 3.2 g |
| Salt | 0.19 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
1.4 g High Protein needs ≥ 10 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
Metric · 8 servings
Custard
- 480 ml double cream
- 240 ml whole milk
- 30 g fresh mint leaves (spearmint or peppermint) a large handful
- 15 g cocoa powder
- 140 g caster sugar
- 1 g fine sea salt or table salt a pinch
- 5 large egg yolks
Chocolate
- 160 g dark chocolate (60-70% cocoa), chopped 100 g finely chopped and melted into the custard, 60 g chopped into small pieces and folded in at the end
- 1
Steep the mint. Bring the cream and milk just to steaming, stir in the mint leaves, cover and leave for 30 min. Sieve, pressing hard on the leaves, and pour the minty dairy back into the pan; fresh leaves give a softer, greener flavour than extract.
- 2
Make a cocoa paste. Whisk the yolks, sugar and cocoa in the heatproof bowl until there are no dry specks. Mixing cocoa with the yolks first stops it clumping in the hot liquid.
- 3
Temper. Rewarm the mint dairy until steaming, whisk a ladle into the cocoa paste, then a second, and tip everything back into the pan. The gradual heat keeps the yolks from setting into lumps.
- 4
Cook the custard. Stir over low heat for 5-8 min, scraping the corners, until it coats the spatula and reads 77-80 °C. Never let it bubble, or it will turn grainy.
- 5
Melt in chocolate. Take the pan off the heat and add the 100 g finely chopped chocolate with the salt. Leave for a minute so the residual heat softens it, then stir until glossy.
- 6
Cool the base. Strain into a bowl sitting in the iced water and stir until cool, then refrigerate for at least 4 h. Chocolate bases thicken as they chill, which helps a smooth churn.
- 7
Churn with pieces. Churn until thick, then add the chocolate pieces for the final minute. Cold custard sets the chocolate instantly, so it stays in crisp little shards.
- 8
Freeze. Pack into the container, press baking paper onto the surface and freeze for at least 4 h before serving.
Storage
Keep frozen in the covered container for up to 2 weeks. Soften for 5-10 min at room temperature before scooping.
