Mexican Chocolate Ice Cream Food

SPICY MEXICAN CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Slice the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape the seeds (do not discard), set aside.
• Roughly chop the chocolate and melt in a medium sauce pan together with milk and cream (over medium heat). After the chocolate has melted, whisk in the cocoa powder, avoiding clumps. Add the vanilla bean and seeds. Bring the mix to just under a boil (150° on a candy thermometer), stirring frequently. Remove from heat and let the mix steep, covered, for 30 minutes to an hour.
• Remove the vanilla bean. Reheat mix over moderate heat until hot (150 degrees), stirring frequently.
• Whisk the eggs, sugar and salt together in a small bowl.
• Temporarily remove the pan from the heat. Add 1/2 cup hot cream mixture to the eggs/sugar in a slow stream, whisking constantly. Whisk the egg/cream mix back into the saucepan and return to medium-low heat, STIRRING CONSTANTLY until a candy thermometer reads 170 degrees (do not let it boil).
• In a medium to large bowl (that cream mixture will be chilled in) combine the cinnamon and cayenne pepper. Pour a small amount of the chocolate cream through a strainer into the bowl and whisk to combine, avoiding clumps. Pour the remaining chocolate cream mixture through the strainer and whisk to combine.
• Cool completely in the refrigerator (at least 4 hours). Freeze in an ice cream maker. Transfer to an airtight container and put in freezer to harden.
• Notes: DO NOT add more than 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper. The flavor intensifies as it freezes in the ice cream maker. If you don't have 1/8 tsp, use 1/4 tsp and remove half the cayenne.
• Notes: To chill more quickly, place the final mixture in an ice and cold-water bath for 30 minutes (a larger bowl for the ice water, a smaller bowl filled with the cream mixture that will sit in the "bath"). Stir frequently.

MEXICAN CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Heat one cup of cream in small saucepan.
• Whisk in cocoa powder.
• Bring to simmer.
• Whisk unti cocoa powder is well incorporated.
• Remove pot from heat.
• Stir in chocolate until completely incorporate.
• Put mixture into a metal bowl and add remaining cup of cream.
• Set bowl over a larger bowl half filled with ice ater to help cool it down.
• Place a mesh sieve of bowl with the chocolate mixture.
• Put on cup of milk, sugar cinnamon, salt cayenne, expresso powder into a saucepan and heat until steamy (not boiling), stirring to incorporate spices and dissolve sugar.
• Place egg yolks in a medium sized bowl.
• Slowly pour heated milk and mixture into egg yolks, whisking constantly so the egg yolks are tempered by the heated milk, but not cooked.
• Use a rubber spatula to scrape warmed egg youlks back into saucepan.
• Stir milk egg mixture constantly over medium heat with wooden spoon, scraping bottom as you stir, unti mixture thickens and coats spoon so that you can run your finger across coating and have the coating not run.
• This can take anywhere from 3 to 10 minutes, depending on how hot your burner is.
• If the custard base doesn't coat the back of spoon, it's not ready.
• As soon as mixture coats the spoon, remove from heat and immediately pour over mesh sieve into bowl of chocolate cream mixture. (The sieve is there to catch any curdled bits).
• Stir into the cream mixture.
• Add a teaspoon of vanilla.
• Let mixture cool a bit in the ice bth and then chill in refrigerator until completely chilled, a couple of hours or over night.
• Right before churning, add 2 tablespoons of brndy to mix.
• This is optional, but willhelp keep the ice cream from getting to icey if stored beyound a day.
• Churn miture in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions.
• Store ice cream in an airtight container in freezer for several hours before eating.
• The ice cream will be quite soft coming out of the ice cream maker, but will continue to harden in your freezer.
• If you store for more than a day, you may need to let it sit for a few minutes to soften before attempting to scoop it.

MEXICAN CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Halve vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape seeds into a 3-quart heavy saucepan. Add chocolate and half-and-half and bring to a boil over moderate heat, whisking. Remove from heat.
• Lightly beat eggs with salt in a bowl, then add hot chocolate mixture in a slow stream, whisking. Transfer custard to cleaned saucepan and cook over moderately low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until custard registers 175°F on thermometer, 1 to 5 minutes. Immediately pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a metal bowl. Put bowl in a larger bowl of ice and cold water and cool, stirring occasionally.
• Freeze custard in ice cream maker. Transfer ice cream to an airtight container and freeze until hardened, about 1 hour.

MEXICAN CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM

Steps:

• In a double boiler over simmering water melt chocolate, stirring until smooth. Remove top part of double boiler.
• In a saucepan bring half and half and cream to a boil.
• In a large bowl whisk egg yolks until foamy.
• In a small bowl or cup combine sugar and cinnamon.
• Slowly add sugar/cinnamon to egg yolks, whisking until mixture is thick and lemon colored.
• Whisk half and half mixture into yolks.
• Return mixture to saucepan and cook over low heat until thick (7-10 minutes). Transfer mixture to a bowl.
• Whisk in melted chocolate and vanilla (if using almond extract add with vanilla).
• Cover and chill for at least 3 hours, stirring occasionally.
• Transfer mixture to ice cream maker and process according to manufacturer's directions.
• Add almonds (if using).
• Freeze in covered container overnight or for several hours.
• Let ice cream soften slightly before serving.

MEXICAN CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, heat coconut milk and agave to a boil.
• Reduce immediately to a simmer, then remove from heat.
• Mix in the chocolate, stirring constantly until chips are completely melted.
• Cool mixture in pan on counter for 1 hour.
• Stir in the cinnamon, salt, cayenne, espresso and vanilla until thoroughly combined.
• Add mixture to your ice cream maker, following directions per your machine.
• Serve.

MEXICAN CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Prepare an ice water bath by filling a bowl halfway with ice and water; set aside in sink.
• Combine milk, cream, half of the sugar, and cinnamon stick in a large saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
• Meanwhile, whisk together remaining sugar and egg yolks until pale yellow. Once milk mixture is hot, slowly add half of milk mixture into egg mixture (1/2 cup at a time is good to temper the eggs), whisking constantly. Pour milk and egg mixture back into the saucepan and cook, stirring constantly, over low heat until it is as thick as melted ice cream and coats the back of a spoon, about 10 to 15 minutes. (When you draw your finger across the spoon, it should make a mark through the custard.).
• Remove from heat, add chocolate, and whisk until chocolate is melted and custard is smooth. Whisk in coffee liqueur. Strain into a large heatproof bowl and place ice cream base over ice water bath to chill, about 10 to 15 minutes.
• Once ice cream base is cold, cover and place in the refrigerator to chill completely, at least 3 hours or overnight. Once chilled, freeze in an ice-cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.
• Freeze processed ice cream overnight for firmer texture & matured flavor or eat at once in "soft serve" form.