Perfect Chocolate Ice Cream

With all the warm weather outside it really feels like summer already and so I decided to make my first batch of ice cream of the season. I'm always looking for a good Chocolate ice cream recipe and have tried several recipes, but this one is definitely a winner! It has everything you want a good chocolate ice cream to have. It's silky smooth, creamy and has a fantastic chocolate taste!

The only thing I hate about custard-base ice creams is that you have to let the base cool down before you can actually pour it into the ice cream maker. Not something I'm very good at.... To help speed this process I put the warm pan in a sink filled with ice cold water. But it is of course best to make it ahead.

I found the recipe at Joy of Baking and was so pleased with the end result that I made no changes whatsoever.

Recipe

Chocolate Ice Cream

Ingredients:

2 cups half-and-half (or 1 cup whole milk and 1 cup single cream)
50 gram (1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons) dutch-processed cocoa powder
1/2 vanilla bean
55 gram (2 ounces) semisweet chocolate, chopped
4 large egg yolks
100 gram (1/2 cup) granulated sugar

Instructions:

In a saucepan whisk together the half-and-half and the cocoa powder until well blended.

Place the saucepan over medium-high heat and bring the mixture with the vanilla bean to a scalding point where the milk begins to foam up.

Remove the saucepan from the heat, take out the vanilla bean. Cut the vanilla bean in two, lengthwise, and scrape the seeds from the bean with the back of a knife. Mix the seeds back into the mixture.

Add the chopped chocolate and stir until the chocolate has completely melted.

In a stainless steel bowl beat the egg yolks and sugar until light and fluffy (about two minutes).

Very slowly pour the scalding half-and-half mixture into the egg yolk mixture, mixing constantly so the eggs don't curdle.

Place the bowl over a pan with simmering water. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon and cook until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon (170ºF or 77ºC).

Immediately remove the mixture from the heat and keep stirring a few minutes so it doesn't overcook.

Cover the mixture with plastic wrap and let cool to room temperature and then refrigerate the mixture for several hours or overnight until completely cold. You can speed the process along by placing the mixture in a sink with ice cold water. And if you're really impatient you can skip the refrigerator, but your ice will be very soft.

Transfer the cold mixture to your ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer's instructions. After it is finished you can store the ice cream in the freezer.