Chocolate Ginger Ice Cream Food

SPEEDY GINGER ICE CREAM WITH CHILLI-CHOCOLATE SAUCE

Steps:

• Stir the ginger and syrup through the ice cream, then return to the freezer to firm up for at least 1 hr.
• Put the chocolate and chilli in a large bowl. Bring milk, cream and sugar to the boil, then remove from heat and pour over the chocolate. Leave to stand for 2 mins, then whisk until the chocolate is melted. Serve warm with a scoop of ice cream.

CHOCOLATE WONTONS WITH GINGER ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Make ice cream:
• Bring milk, cream, and 1/2 cup sugar to a boil in a 3-quart heavy saucepan. Remove from heat, then stir in ginger and let steep, covered, 15 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk together yolks and remaining 1/2 cup sugar. Add milk mixture to yolk mixture in a slow stream, whisking, then transfer custard to saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until custard is thick enough to coat back of spoon and registers 175 to 180°F on an instant-read thermometer (do not let boil).
• Pour custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a metal bowl, discarding solids, and chill, its surface covered with wax paper, until cold, about 1 1/2 hours. Freeze in ice cream maker, then transfer to an airtight container and put in freezer to harden, at least 4 hours.
• Make wontons:
• Bring cream and butter to a boil in a 1-quart saucepan. Pour hot cream over chocolate in a bowl and let stand 1 minute. Whisk ganache until smooth, then chill, covered, until firm, about 1 hour.
• Lightly brush 1 side of each of 6 wonton wrappers with beaten egg, then put 1 1/2 teaspoons chocolate ganache in center of each. Fold filled wontons in half to form triangles, pressing gently around filling to eliminate any air bubbles and sealing edges with more egg. (If there are any pockets of air, wontons may burst when fried.) Make 6 more wontons in same manner. Freeze filled wontons on a wax-paper-lined tray until firm, about 20 minutes.
• Heat oil in a 4-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat until it registers 365°F on deep-fat thermometer. Fry wontons, 3 at a time, turning once, until golden brown, about 1 1/2 minutes total. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. (Return oil to 365°F between batches.) Dust with confectioners sugar and serve wontons warm with ice cream.

CHOCOLATE GINGER ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Process ginger with sugar in work bowl of food processor until it is very fine.
• Place milk, cream and ginger sugar in heavy saucepan and bring to a boil.
• Remove from heat an steep for 5 minutes.
• Beat egg yolks with a wire whisk in a bowl and slowly stir in the ginger milk mixture.
• Return to saucepan and cook gently, stiring constantly, until it thickens slightly. Do not boil or overheat.
• Add vanilla and liqueur.
• Cut chocolate into chunks and add to work bowl of food processor. Pulse 15-20 times or until finely chopped.
• Add about half of the hot custard and process until the chocolate is completely melted.
• Stir chocolate mixture back into remaining custard and blend well with a whisk.
• Cool mix in fridge for several hours or overnight.
• Transfer to ice cream freezer and after a little time, voila! YUM is ready.
• If you have no ice cream freezer, place in flat metal dish or cake pan and freeze for about 2 hours.
• Puree in 2 or 3 batches until smooth to prevent large ice crystals from forming. If you freezer is not very cold or is very full, this may take longer.
• Freeze again fofr about 1 hour.
• Time does not include freezing time as you don't have to stand there and watch it.

WINTER-SPICED MOLTEN CHOCOLATE CAKES WITH RUM-GINGER ICE CREAM

Steps:

• For ice cream:
• Place softened ice cream in medium bowl. Using plastic spatula, fold ginger and rum into ice cream. Transfer to airtight container. Freeze ice cream mixture until firm, about 4 hours. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep frozen.)
• For cakes:
• Generously butter eight 3/4-cup soufflé dishes. Stir chocolate, butter, coriander, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, and white pepper in heavy medium saucepan over low heat until melted and smooth. Cool slightly. Whisk eggs, egg yolks, and vanilla in large bowl to blend. Whisk in 3 cups powdered sugar, then chocolate mixture, then flour. Transfer batter to prepared dishes, filling to top and dividing equally. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
• Preheat oven to 425°F. Bake cakes until batter has risen above dish, top edges are dark brown, and centers are still soft and runny, about 15 minutes, or about 18 minutes for refrigerated batter. Run small knife around cakes to loosen. Allow cakes to rest in dishes 5 minutes. Using hot pad and holding dish very firmly, place plate gently atop 1 cake and invert onto plate. Repeat with remaining cakes. Dust with powdered sugar. Top with crystallized ginger. Serve cakes with rum-ginger ice cream.

CHOCOLATE, GINGER & PRALINE BOMBE

Steps:

• Take a large food bag, cut down one side and along the base, then open out. Use to line a 1-litre pudding basin. Tip the contents of the jar of conserve into a large bowl, then stir to break it down. Using a large sharp knife, shave 50g of the chocolate into shards, then reserve. Measure 450ml of the cream into a bowl, then whip until it just holds its shape. Fold the cream into the ginger conserve using a large spoon until the cream is evenly flecked with ginger, then gently fold in the shaved chocolate.
• Spoon the cream mixture into the lined bowl and smooth the top. Freeze for at least 4 hrs, or overnight is better, until the ice cream is firm. Line a wooden board with foil, then lightly oil the foil. Tip the sugar into a heavy based pan, then gently heat, without stirring, until the sugar is melted and a golden caramel. You can swirl the pan gently to help it melt evenly if necessary. Remove from the heat, then stir in the almonds. Tip onto the foil, spread out with the back of an oiled metal spoon, then leave to set.
• Pour the reserved cream into a small pan. Break up the remaining chocolate, then add to the pan, stirring over a low heat until the chocolate has dissolved. Set aside to cool and thicken.
• When the almond caramel has set, break it up into small pieces using a rolling pin. You are aiming for a mix of larger and smaller pieces.
• When the chocolate sauce has cooled and is thick enough for spreading, turn the ice-cream bombe out onto a serving plate, remove the bowl, then peel off the plastic. Spread the chocolate over the top and sides of the bombe as evenly as possible. Add more as the first layer starts to set until you have used it all up. Scatter over the almond caramel, then return to the freezer until firm. To store the bombe, wrap in freezer film until ready to serve.
• To serve, transfer the bombe to the fridge 45 mins before serving. Dust with a little icing sugar and cut into thick wedges.

GINGER ICE CREAM

Steps:

• In a medium pot, combine cream, milk, sugar, ginger, cinnamon, clove and salt. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then cover, remove from heat, and let steep for 1 hour.
• In a medium bowl, whisk the yolks. Whisking constantly, slowly whisk about a third of the cream into the yolks, then whisk yolk mixture back into the pot with the cream. Return pot to medium-low heat and gently cook until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon (about 170 degrees on an instant-read thermometer).
• Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. Cool mixture to room temperature. Cover and chill at least 4 hours or overnight. Churn in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer's instructions, adding the candied ginger during the last few seconds of churning. Serve directly from the machine for soft serve, or store in freezer until needed. Serve topped with extra candied ginger if desired.

WHITE CHOCOLATE & GINGER ICE CREAM

Steps:

• In a heavy saucepan over low heat, slowly bring cream, milk, sugar and ginger to a boil, stirring occasionally. Immediately remove from heat. Let ingredients steep together for 30 minutes.
• In a small bowl, beat egg yolks with melted white chocolate. Whisk into cream mixture. Strain custard through a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth into a large bowl.
• Pour custard into an ice-cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's directions. Transfer ice cream to a container, cover and freeze.
• Scoop ice cream into dessert bowls. Sprinkle with crystallized ginger and white chocolate shavings, if desired. YIELD 1 quart.

CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of just-simmering water, ensuring the bowl doesn't touch the water, or do this in the microwave in 20-second bursts until smooth and glossy. Leave to cool slightly. Pour the cream, condensed milk and vanilla into a second bowl and beat for 3 mins using an electric whisk until slightly thickened and the beaters leave a trail in the mixture when lifted across the bowl. Be careful not to overwhip, as you don't want the mixture to be too stiff - as soon as the beaters leave a trail, it's ready.
• Gently fold the melted chocolate and cocoa powder into the cream mixture until thoroughly combined, ensuring the spatula is reaching the bottom of the bowl so all the chocolate gets mixed in. Fold in most of the chocolate chips, reserving a small handful. Scrape the mixture into a 1-litre freezerproof container, then scatter over the reserved chocolate chips. Cover and freeze for at least 6 hrs until firm but scoopable. Will keep frozen for up to a month. To serve, scoop the ice cream into chilled bowls or ice cream cones and sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt, if you like.