Double Dark Chocolate Ice Cream

14 Comments July 19, 2024 terrie gura

It’s funny how things change after marriage. When we were dating, my husband, Les, and I spent weekends going to shows, visiting antique stores, shooting pool or walking the trails at nearby parks. Now, our Saturdays are more likely to involve cleaning out the garage and hitting up the sample tables at Costco. Who said romance is dead?

Last weekend, we loaded all our goodies into the trunk of the car after a Costco run— the bulk package of paper towels, a two-liter bottle of extra virgin olive oil, tower of canned tuna— everything except some irresistible dark chocolate peanut butter cups that caught my eye at checkout. That item rode shotgun with me in the front seat because we didn’t get to sample them inside and we are always starving when we finish shopping. By the time we got home, I said, “you know, these peanut butter cups would be great in a dark chocolate ice cream. I guess it’s time I made some.”

It’s possibly the creamiest ice cream I’ve ever made.

So, where are the peanut butter cups?

Your eyes don’t deceive; the peanut butter cups aren’t in there and I can explain. Our impression of the peanut butter cups changed after we got home, as we found them to be oddly gritty, especially after I chilled them. This is one of the hazards of Costco, as we now have a humongous bag of an impulse item that lost its shine on the way home. I didn’t want to risk sabotaging the perfect texture of the ice cream before me, so I changed my plan. The candy inspired me, and for that, I give thanks.

Without ice cream, there would be darkness and chaos.
Don Kardong (1976 Olympic runner, serious ice cream lover)

Let’s be honest, the world is full of darkness and chaos, even with ice cream. But summer’s favorite treat at least provides a most pleasant distraction, and this one deserves to be shared for its deep, dark chocolate flavor and silky smooth consistency. Here’s a fun fact: I’m not even particularly fond of chocolate ice cream, but this one? This one is awesome.

Most of my homemade ice creams these days begin, as this one does, with a can of sweetened condensed milk. I used to rely on custard as a base, and I still think it’s delicious and luxurious. But it gives me a headache trying to whip the egg yolks and sugar just right, then tempering with hot milk and especially cooking the custard to the proper thickness without crossing the line into scrambled egg territory. You can probably tell that I’ve had my share of issues here. 😏

The first time I made sweetened condensed milk ice cream, the clouds parted and I heard angels singing. I’m pretty sure it was the s’mores ice cream that I made for National S’mores Day three years ago, and I’ve hardly looked back. Condensed milk is thick, rich and exactly the right amount of sweetness for ice cream. It is an amazing substitute for custard, without the fuss or the saturated fat of several egg yolks. I learned later that the fat-free version of condensed milk works just as well as the regular kind (as long as you eat the ice cream within a few days), and isn’t this just the greatest news?

The ingredient list is surprisingly simple.

So, I decided that sweetened condensed milk was the way to go, along with a few other things— whole milk, cream, dark cocoa powder and vanilla. As my recipe progressed, I also stirred in a bit of brown sugar to offset the sharpness of the cocoa and a teaspoon of espresso powder to accentuate the deep chocolate flavor. We are already more than halfway through National Ice Cream Month— let’s get this done!

Chocolate lovers, pay serious attention

Do you remember, as a kid, stirring Nestlé Quik into a glass of ice cold milk, and how you could never quite get all the chocolatey powder to dissolve, no matter how long you stirred? It’s tough to mix a powder into a liquid, and even more so when the powder is cocoa. For starters, the density of cocoa powder is greater than the density of milk— it’s mostly fat and fiber, so it’s kind of like me expecting my middle-aged body to squeeze into my favorite old jeans shorts. It ain’t happening (especially after so much ice cream)! But there is a way to force the cocoa to dissolve, with a side effect of also releasing its full flavor potential. You have to cook it.

Sorry, but even with a non-custard base ice cream, we must turn on the stove for this one, at least long enough to coax the cocoa into dissolving. As I began whisking my cocoa into the condensed milk, I remembered that my condensed milk was fat-free, and I needed a little fat content to help this along. So I whisked in a half cup of the cream from my recipe and realized that I had another problem. My cocoa was lumpy, and it hadn’t occurred to me to sift it first (I was too excited, I guess). This, my friends, is exactly why my immersion blender lives in the cabinet above the range hood. I was back in business!

My iPhone camera had trouble with the color of my ice cream base! It was *soooo* dark and rich.

The condensed milk base was so deep and rich, I worried that the cream and milk would flatten the flavor, but that definitely was not the case. Vanilla did its part as well, accenting the depth of the cocoa. It was smooth, creamy and exploding with chocolate flavor.

But what does the resident chocolate lover think?

As much as possible, I include Les in my process of making new recipes, especially when it comes to sweets because my own sweet tooth is underdeveloped. He licked the tasting spoon and declared it “very chocolatey, but not sweet enough.” The double dark cocoa blend from King Arthur Baking is a fantastic blend of Dutch-processed and black cocoas. It’s more intense even than Hershey’s dark cocoa, and that intensity registers as a touch bitter. So one cup of the ice cream base went back into the pan so that I could melt in a quarter cup of brown sugar to soften that sharpness, and this is when I decided to also add a touch of espresso powder to enhance the chocolate flavor without more cocoa. It was a bold move because Les despises coffee flavor, but trust me, he would never know it’s in there.

Don’t worry about keeping up with all these adjustments; I’ve written the recipe to include it all!

Second taste test was a winner, and I chilled and churned as usual, trusting my Cuisinart 2-quart ice maker that is going strong after 15 years. I know that the internet is full of “no churn” recipes, but if you enjoy homemade ice cream, I wholeheartedly recommend that you purchase a good quality machine. Mine has paid for itself many times over.

Churning ice cream incorporates air while it freezes, contributing to irresistible texture.

One could certainly make an argument for adding any variety of candies or other goodies to this dark chocolate ice cream. It would be a terrific base for a rocky road, a mint chip—or yes, a peanut butter cup blend. But I don’t regret enjoying it just as it is, in all its deep, dark chocolatey goodness.

Still twelve days left of National Ice Cream Month. What flavor do you want next?

Double Dark Chocolate Ice Cream

Servings: About 8
Prep Time: 30 minutes, plus chilling and churning
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Difficulty: Average
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If you love chocolate ice cream, do yourself a favor and make this no-egg recipe. It would be a terrific base for any number of add-ins, but its creamy, indulgent texture makes it perfect on its own!

Ingredients

1 can sweetened condensed milk (fat-free works great)
1/2 cup dark cocoa powder
1 1/4 cups heavy cream, divided
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. espresso powder (optional, to accentuate the chocolate flavor)
1 cup whole milk
2 tsp. real vanilla extract
1 Tbsp. vodka (optional, added in the final minute of churning)

Note: The vodka addition is optional, and I recommend omitting it if you will be serving children or others who avoid alcohol. It’s a very small amount, and if you choose to add it during the final minute of churning in the ice cream maker, you’ll find that the ice cream is easy to scoop straight out of the freezer. If you do not use the vodka, simply take the ice cream out five minutes before serving.

Directions

Combine condensed milk, cocoa, brown sugar, espresso powder and 1/2 cup of the heavy cream in a small, heavy-bottomed sauce pan. Whisk over medium low heat for 6 to 7 minutes, until sugar is completely dissolved and the mixture is very hot to the touch. Remove from heat and continue whisking for one minute.
Transfer hot cocoa mixture to a large, heatproof bowl. Whisk in whole milk, vanilla and remaining heavy cream. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and refrigerate several hours until thoroughly chilled.
Prepare ice cream machine and churn mixture according to manufacturer’s instructions. Add vodka during the final minute of churning, if desired.
Transfer to an insulated ice cream container. Freeze several hours or overnight until firm.

Apple Pie Ice Cream

17 Comments July 1, 2024 terrie gura

The kid in me comes out to play in July. It’s my birthday month, and so my memories call me back to childhood more than in other months. But I also think it’s because I learned a few years ago that July is National Ice Cream month. And what kid (even a grownup one) doesn’t love ice cream in the summer?

There’s a saying out there, attributed to President Harry Truman, that “there is nothing new in the world except the history that you do not know,” and though most U.S. citizens grew up believing that apple pie is an all-American dish— right alongside baseball, hot dogs and Chevrolet, remember?— the backstory of apple pie is much older. I found this article in Southern Living interesting; if you like rabbit holes (as I do), then dig into this after we finish this ice cream.

We may not have invented it, but we do indeed love apple pie in this country, and I have many fond childhood memories of my grandmother making pies and applesauce from the tart green apples produced by a tree next to the side of her house in Western New York. My cousins and I would go out there to pick them (sometimes off the ground), and Gram would spin a few other ingredients around like magic, and just like that, a pie would appear. A slice of that pie, alongside a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a wedge of sharp New York cheddar— oh, it was like heaven.

This year, the kid in me was craving something a little simpler, and so for our July Fourth celebration this year, it’ll be this apple pie ice cream. Two summer favorites in one scrumptious scoop!

It’s apple pie and à la mode, all in one!

There’s no magic to it, and only a little bit of cooking to get the chopped apples softened and syrupy with cinnamon, sugar and cardamom flavors. I used two small Gala apples, which cooked down to approximately one half cup of syrupy deliciousness. I was on the fence whether to blend those bits into the ice cream base itself or merely layer with the base at the end. Ultimately, I layered them because I love the visual appeal of all the tasty flavors swirled into each scoop.

These flavors were begging to be worked into an ice cream!

The “pie” part of my recipe comes not from pie crust, but from buttery, flaky apple turnovers. I took a shortcut by using store-bought pastries, but it was a relief to not turn on the oven. If you make the turnovers yourself, you are officially the apple of my eye! 🤩

The only difficult part of making this ice cream was the waiting!

The ice cream base I used is my go-to, with sweetened condensed milk, cream, whole milk and a touch more cinnamon. This time, though, I got a notion to swap in a portion of dulce de leche sweetened condensed milk. It’s a thicker, caramelized version of condensed milk, and its rich, caramel-y flavor gave my ice cream even more of an apple pie vibe. Notice that I did not include vanilla? I wanted no distraction from the apples, caramel and spices.

A bit of dulce de leche gave this a caramel touch.

After churning the ice cream in my handy Cuisinart machine, which has paid for itself dozens of times over since I bought it more than 15 years ago, I layered the sweet base with those syrupy apples and some torn up bits of apple turnovers.

With the machine running, pour in the base mixture.

My inner kid is grinning ear to ear for this one, and it feels like a perfect way to kick off National Ice Cream Month. Don’t be surprised to see a few other fun flavors pop up here in the weeks to come. Hello, July! 😎

Apple Pie Ice Cream

Servings: About 12 scoops
Prep Time: 30 minutes, plus chilling and freezing
Cook Time: 20 minutes, for the apples
Difficulty: Average
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This is my adaptation of two favorite summer treats, all layered together into one scrumptious scoop!

Ingredients

14 oz. sweetened condensed milk (or swap in a small amount of dulce de leche)
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup whole milk
1 cup light cream
2 small gala apples, peeled and chopped into bits
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground cardamom
pinch of salt
2 tsp. pie filling enhancer (a King Arthur product, or sub a teaspoon corn starch)
2 Tbsp. water
1 large baked apple turnover, torn into small pieces

Notes: Do your prep ahead so that everything has time to chill thoroughly in the fridge before churning and layering the ice cream. For easy scooping straight from the freezer, add a tablespoon of vodka during the final minute of churning. This ice cream is best after ripening in the freezer at least 8 hours or preferably overnight.

Directions

Whisk together sweetened condensed milk and cinnamon. Add milk and cream, and whisk until smooth. Refrigerate until mixture is completely cold.
Toss apple bits with sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, salt and pie filling enhancer (or corn starch). Add to a small saucepan with water and cook over low heat until mixture is thickened and apples are soft with only a light resistance to the bite. Transfer to a small bowl to cool and refrigerate until chilled.
Chop or tear the apple turnover into small pieces. Spread the pieces out on a parchment lined plate or small baking sheet and place in the freezer for at least one hour.
Churn the dairy base in ice cream machine, following manufacturer’s instructions. If using vodka for texture, only add it during the final minute of churning. Transfer ice cream to an insulated freezer container, layering with stewed spiced apples and torn bits of frozen turnover. Ripen in freezer several hours (overnight is best).

Honey-Lavender Ice Cream with… well, read and see!

11 Comments October 18, 2022 terrie gura

I know, I know—we are not exactly in “ice cream season,” but this is not an ordinary, warm weather ice cream, and I found it so interesting, I could not wait until next summer to share it!

My inspiration for this ice cream came very naturally, in the course of conversation with dear friends after a feast that concluded with one of my homemade ice cream recipes. Our friend, Charlotte, casually mentioned that she had once had a chance to try a most unusual ice cream flavor, and that she had lingering regrets over passing on that opportunity so many years earlier. It was bleu cheese ice cream, she said, and she had never stopped thinking about it.

I’ll be honest—my brain could not imagine it. Bleu cheese? In ice cream? Yikes.

But my taste buds took the wheel, reminding me that I have enjoyed many charcuterie boards with the combination of bleu cheese with fresh and dried fruits, and bleu cheese drizzled with honey, and both were fantastic! So if I’ve enjoyed bleu cheese with sweet flavors in other ways, why wouldn’t it be possible—or potentially even good—in an ice cream?

Many years ago, I made a honey and goat cheese ice cream that was fantastic, so it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility. Before long, I joined Charlotte in wondering if bleu cheese ice cream would be amazing—or just weird.

That was about two years ago, and as time rolled along, I moved on to what seemed to be more “normal” ideas for ice cream, including several that I have posted here on Comfort du Jour, but a few weeks ago, Charlotte and her partner, David, joined us for pizza night at our house and she clearly had not forgotten about this most unusual frozen treat, and she put it right out there as a challenge:

“So, what do you think about doing the bleu cheese ice cream?”

And all at once, my brain connected the dots.

The bleu cheese would need a sweet base to carry it, and I remembered the jar of specialty honey—a local one, infused with lavender—that sat mostly untouched in the back of my cabinet. Of course! That would infuse the base of my ice cream, and I would embellish it with additional dried lavender buds, steeped in the cream mixture and strained out before churning. With or without bleu cheese, I knew that would be a delightful dessert, and when I tasted the base, I let go an audible moan. It was, OMG, perfect.

The base is sweetened condensed milk, the lavender-infused milk and heavy cream.

There could be no vanilla in this ice cream because I didn’t want a distraction from the honey or the lavender. Sweetened condensed milk would provide structure to the base, and something else would have to run through the ice cream to split the difference between the sweet, floral background and the salty, funky bits of bleu cheese. Something tart and unexpected (as if bleu cheese wasn’t unexpected enough)—yes, it would have to be balsamic vinegar!

Balsamic reduction is so easy! Just vinegar, heat and time.

Now, if you had told me a few years ago that I would one day make ice cream with vinegar and bleu cheese, I would have decided then and there that you were completely off your rocker. But this balsamic is not ordinary vinegar—it’s a specialty product, infused with lavender. Something in my subconscious had already predicted this moment, because I found an unopened bottle of the stuff in my pantry overflow. I poured some into a pan and reduced it to a thick, syrupy consistency, which concentrated both its sweetness and its tang, and I drizzled that syrup through the churned base as a ribbon—no, more like a thread—that literally streaks through each scrumptious scoop, accentuating the positives of the warm honey, the fragrant lavender, the sweet cream and yes, the funky bleu cheese.

For this recipe, I recommend a bleu cheese that is not too funky or overly vein-y. I actually picked up three different bleu cheeses to determine which one was right. The first turned out to be too pungent and heavy on the funky veins— better for chunky bleu cheese dressing, and that’s exactly what I ended up making with it. The second bleu cheese had great promise, as the woman in the specialty cheese department at the market described it as being “smoked over hazelnut shells,” but in one taste, I knew that it would overwhelm the delicate lavender (It’ll be great, though, on a charcuterie tray). My third option turned out to be just right, with a classic, salty flavor and nice blue-color veins running through creamy-looking white cheese. I layered crumbles of it over the churned ice cream, which was streaked with a fine drizzle of the balsamic reduction.

I’m not so naïve to think that everyone reading this now would enjoy this ice cream because not everyone has a strong sense of adventure. Frankly, not everyone even likes bleu cheese. If you’d rather have a reduced-guilt vanilla ice cream or a homemade Cherry Garcia, I’ve got you, and you can skip over to those posts for the recipes. No judgment here. But for those of you who do have that adventurous side—you read this to the end, after all—you’re gonna be telling your friends about this one!

Charlotte was thrilled to finally have bleu cheese ice cream, and just in time for her birthday. ❤ 🙂

Honey-Lavender Ice Cream with Bleu Cheese

Servings: About 8
Prep Time: 1 hour total, plus chilling and freezing
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Difficulty: Intermediate
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Not for the unadventurous, but a sophisticated combination of flavors in an elegant, indulgent ice cream.

Ingredients

3/4 can sweetened condensed milk (about 10 ounces)
1 cup whole milk
1 1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup half and half
3 Tbsp. lavender-infused honey* (see ingredient notes)
1 tsp. edible dried lavender buds*
Pinch kosher salt
1 Tbsp. vodka (optional, added at end of churning for improved texture)
1/3 cup lavender-infused balsamic vinegar*
1/3 cup mild bleu cheese crumbles*

I used Cloister brand whipped lavender honey, but there are many notable varieties available with a quick internet search. If possible, choose a honey made locally. The dried lavender buds underscored the floral essence of the honey, and I recommend them. Be sure you select lavender that is labeled as “food-grade” or “edible,” as some on the market are intended for cosmetic formulas only. The lavender-infused balsamic is another specialty ingredient that you can find at any one of the balsamic and olive oil stores that have popped up all over the U.S. If your local shop’s supplier is Veronica Foods, you’re in the right place.

Directions

Heat the milk in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. When it begins to steam around the edges, whisk in the honey to dissolve it. Add the lavender buds to the pan and turn off the heat. Allow the buds to steep until the milk has cooled to room temperature.
Pour 3/4 of a can of sweetened condensed milk into a pitcher bowl. Pour the lavender-infused milk through a mesh strainer into the bowl, discarding the spent lavender buds. Whisk the milks together until evenly blended. Add heavy cream and half and half, whisking to combine but taking care to not whip air bubbles into the mixture. Cover and refrigerate several hours until completely cold.
Heat the balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it reduces in volume and takes on a syrupy consistency. Cool to room temperature.
Set up ice cream machine. Gently whisk ice cream base mixture to reincorporate any ingredients that have settled. Freeze ice cream according to manufacturer’s instructions. In the final minute of churning, add vodka to ice cream and allow it the machine to churn it all the way through.
Spoon about 1/3 of frozen ice cream mixture to an insulated freezer container. Use a whisk to carefully drizzle a slight ribbon of reduced balsamic over the layer of ice cream, and use a toothpick or thin knife to gently marble the balsamic down into the ice cream, but be careful not to “muddy” it. Scatter half of the bleu cheese crumbles over the balsamic, and then repeat with another layer of ice cream, balsamic and bleu cheese. You probably won’t use all of the reduction, but you can use the rest of it to drizzle over the ice cream at serving time. Finish layer the last of the ice cream base on top. Smooth gently, cover with parchment or wax paper and freeze until firm (about 8 hours).