urban odds & ends

If you like mint, please try this ice cream! It was actually so delicious, that I hadn't a chance to make a picture :-D This is the first custard based ice cream I tried and this ice cream is really creamy and smooth - it's definitely worth the extra effort. The mint is really refreshing, I used nana mint, a special mint sort from morocco - quite delicious as tea, too.

Chocolat Chip Mint Ice Cream makes ~ 1L
adapted from David Lebovitz

5 large egg yolks
250ml  whole milk
500ml  heavy cream
150g  sugar
80g  fresh mint leaves - preferably nana mint
140g chocolate, chopped
salt

In a medium pot heat the milk, half of the heavy cream, sugar, a pinch of salt and mint. Bring to boil, then remove from heat and allow to infuse for around an hour. Remove the mint and squeeze gently to extract as much mint flavor as possible. Discard the mint. Pour the remaining cream in a bowl and set a strainer on top. Rewarm the infused milk. In a seperate bowl, combine egg yolks and whisk them up. Now pour slowly spoon by spoon (approx 5 spoonful is enough) the hot milk into the egg yolks while constantly stirring. This step is called tempering so you're yolks getting heat resistant for our next step. Pour the yolks into the hot milk and stir until the mixture thickens. Immediately strain the mixture into the prepared bowl and stir. Refrigerate the mixture thoroughly. It's recommended to leave it over night in the fridge, but I used it after 4-5 hours and the results were excellent. Freeze the cream with your ice cream maker. Warning!!! Please stop yourself eating the whole nom out of the machine ;) While the mixture is freezing, place a heat proof bowl over a hot water bath to melt the chocolate.

When the ice cream is ready, scrape a little in a container and tickle some of the chocolate in thin lines over it. The chocolate cools immediately. Quickly stir it into the ice cream breaking up the chocolate. Continue layering the ice cream and adding the chocolate. Freeze until firm.