MINT CHIP ICE CREAM
We don’t really understand why most mint chip ice cream comes in this odd shade of green that doesn’t look like any plant, never mind mint. Our mint chip ice cream is a creamy white speckled with chocolate chips and is one of our best sellers. It’s incredibly easy to make and is most certainly a crowd-pleaser. We recommend showing some restraint with the mint extract—after all, you can always add more—lest your ice cream wind up tasting like toothpaste.
MAKES ABOUT 1 QUART
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons (125 grams) sugar
¼ teaspoon (1 gram) kosher salt
6 large egg yolks
1½ teaspoons mint extract
½ cup (60 grams) dark chocolate chips (72% cacao)
1. Pour the cream and milk into a double boiler or a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water). Whisk in ½ cup (100 grams) of the sugar and the salt and stir until they have dissolved. Warm the mixture until you see steam rising from the top.
2. Meanwhile, prepare an ice bath in a large bowl and set another bowl over it. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, with a kitchen towel underneath it to prevent slipping, whisk together the egg yolks with the remaining 2 tablespoons (25 grams) sugar until uniform. While whisking, add a splash of the hot dairy mixture to the yolks. Continue to add the dairy mixture, whisking it in bit by bit, until you’ve added about half. Add the yolk mixture to the remaining dairy mixture in the double boiler. Set the heat under the double boiler to medium and cook the custard, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon and reducing the heat to medium-low as necessary, until steam begins to rise from the surface and the custard thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon. Hold the spoon horizontally and run your finger through the custard. If the trail left by your finger stays separated, the custard is ready to be cooled.
4. Strain the custard into the bowl sitting over the prepared ice bath and stir for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the custard has cooled. Transfer the custard to a quart-size container, cover, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or, preferably, overnight.
5. Add the mint extract to the chilled custard. Pour the custard into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Place the container in which you refrigerated the custard in the freezer so you can use it to store the finished ice cream. Churn the ice cream until the texture resembles “soft serve.” In the last minute of churning, fold in the chocolate chips and churn until incorporated. Transfer the ice cream to the chilled storage container and freeze until hardened to your desired consistency. Alternatively, you can serve it immediately—it will be the consistency of gelato. The ice cream will keep, frozen, for up to 7 days.
ben’s note You can also make fresh mint ice cream by blending fresh mint leaves into your cooled custard. You will wind up with a diff erent taste from the ice cream here, but it’s also quite wonderful.