Dark Chocolate Ice Cream Food

CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Place the cocoa powder along with 1 cup of the half-and-half into a medium saucepan over medium heat and whisk to combine. Add the remaining half-and-half and the heavy cream. Bring the mixture just to a simmer, stirring occasionally, and remove from the heat.
• In a medium mixing bowl whisk the egg yolks until they lighten in color. Gradually add the sugar and whisk to combine. Temper the cream mixture into the eggs and sugar by gradually adding small amounts, until about 1/3 of the cream mixture has been added. Pour in the remainder and return the entire mixture to the saucepan and place over low heat. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon and reaches 170 to 175 degrees F. Pour the mixture into a container and allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Stir in the vanilla extract. Place the mixture into the refrigerator and once it is cool enough not to form condensation on the lid, cover and store for 4 to 8 hours or until the temperature reaches 40 degrees F or below.
• Pour into an ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer's directions. This should take approximately 25 to 35 minutes. Serve as is for soft serve or freeze for another 3 to 4 hours to allow the ice cream to harden.

NO-CHURN CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM

Steps:

• For the ice cream: Whisk together the condensed milk, cocoa powder, vanilla and salt in a large bowl. The mixture will become very thick; set aside.
• Whip the cream with a mixer on medium-high speed until firm peaks form, about 2 minutes. Fold about 1 cup of the whipped cream into the cocoa mixture with a rubber spatula until combined, then fold the lightened mixture into the whipped cream until well blended. Pour into a chilled 9-by-5-by-3-inch metal loaf pan, and freeze, covered, until thick and creamy, like soft-serve, about 2 hours. Swirl in any desired mix-ins with a spoon. Continue to freeze, covered, until solid and scoopable, about 3 hours more.

DARK CHOCOLATE AND CINNAMON FROZEN CUSTARD

Steps:

• Whisk cream, milk, sugar, and cocoa powder in a saucepan over medium heat until the mixture is thoroughly combined and the sugar has dissolved. Bring almost to a simmer and stir in dark chocolate until melted. Whisk egg yolks into the cream mixture and cook until batter is slightly thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a container, cover, and refrigerate until chilled, at least 6 hours.
• Stir cinnamon into chilled custard batter and freeze in an ice cream machine following manufacturer's instructions. Sprinkle frozen custard with more cinnamon to serve.

DARK CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Melt chocolate in double boiler over hot (not boiling) water.
• Gradually whisk in milk, stir until smooth.
• Remove from heat and let it cool.
• Whisk eggs in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy.
• Gradually whisk in sugar, then continue whisking 1 minute, until completely blended.
• Add the cream, vanilla, and salt; whisk.
• Add the chocolate mixture; blend well.
• Cover, chill, and freeze according to ice cream maker's directions.

THE BEST DARK CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM EVER *

Steps:

• In a medium pot heat 1 cup of heavy cream with cocoa; whisk well to ensure the cocoa gets integrated properly. When cream is bubbling at the edges, remove from heat and add dark chocolate. Wait 30 seconds then give it a good stir until it's all incorporated. Add remaining cup of cream to pot, stir to combine, then pour the contents into a medium sized non-metal bowl, scraping out the pot as well as you can, and place a strainer over the bowl. Place the pot back on the stove, and add the cup of milk, 1/2 cup of sugar and your salt. I prefer more salt (1/2 tsp.) because I think it makes the chocolate taste amazing, but if it's your first go and you are not yet a devotee of salt-to-chocolate ratios, try the 1/4 tsp and then tweak your second batch to taste. Heat the milk and sugar gently on the stove while you get your egg yolks ready. Whisk the egg yolks together and then grab the pot from the stove. SLOWLY drizzle warm milk into the egg yolks, whisking the entire time (this is called tempering) until everything's all combined. Then dump the liquid back into the pot. Stir constantly (so you don't cook the eggs) with a wooden or other heat-safe spoon or spatula over medium heat until the eggs thicken a bit, into a custard. You'll know it's done when you can hold up the spoon and run your finger through the egg-milk mixture and the line you drew with your finger stays there. (Like this.) Pour custard through the strainer into the bowl. Add vanilla extract and stir to combine the chocolatey goodness. Place a piece of plastic wrap over the bowl, literally touching the entire surface of the ice cream base. (This means you won't get any nasty "skin" on top of the liquid.) Refrigerate for at least 6 hours then prepare according to your ice cream maker's instructions.

DARK CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Place milk, cream, chocolate, cocoa, cinnamon and vanilla in a saucepan over low heat. Stir frequently, until chocolate has melted and mixture begins to simmer. The mixture will separate into a dark milky layer, with a lighter foamy layer on top.
• Meanwhile beat egg yolks and sugar together until pale and creamy.
• Add quarter to half of the hot chocolate mixture to the eggs, whisking to avoid egg mix setting. If lumps occur, strain through cheesecloth.
• Return egg mixture to saucepan, and cook over low heat until mixture coats the back of a metal spoon.
• Remove from heat and allow to cool, before chilling a minimum of two hours, preferably overnight. To avoid a skin forming, place cling wrap on top of the custard.
• Whip the mixture in a chilled bowl until light and fluffy. It should resemble a runny chocolate mousse.
• If using an ice cream maker, churn according to your machine instructions.
• To make without an ice cream maker, place in freezer for an hour, until edges are set but the centre is frozen. Remove and whip a high speed in a chilled bowl. Repeat until the desired consistency is achieved, around 2 to 3 times.
• This ice cream will freeze harder than commercial preparations. To serve after the first day, remove from freezer 20 minutes early to soften slightly.

DARK CHOCOLATE AND CARDAMOM ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water, making sure the bowl doesn't touch the water.
• Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds with the back of a knife. Then crush the cardamom pods with the flat of the blade of the knife.
• Place the milk in a separate pan and heat to just under boiling point, then add the sugar, vanilla seeds, and cardamom pods. Stir until the sugar is dissolved.
• Using a strainer to catch the crushed cardamom pods, pour the milk into the melted chocolate and stir. Add the cream, stir well, and leave to cool at room temperature.
• Once cool, pour into an ice-cream maker and churn following the manufacturer's instructions. Keep in the freezer until required.