Now, a word about the chocolate ice cream base I mentioned a couple days back. I realize I already have multiple recipes for chocolate ice cream in the recipe index, but this one is my new favorite because of two things: deliciousness (of course) and convenience.
Because see, the problem with chocolate ice cream (or any ice cream besides vanilla) is that you have to plan to make it. And when I’m making ice cream, I’m usually doing it fast — just processing a bunch of cream to churn into ice cream later. When I make the base, I generally have no idea when we’ll eat it, or with what. I just need the dairy out of my fridge and in the freezer STAT, and since my vanilla base recipe is locked and loaded, that’s what I do.
But then one day a few weeks back when I had a half gallon of vanilla base squatting in the fridge and a sudden hankering for chocolate, I wondered if I might be able to change course this late in the game?
A quick chat with the internet gods (or demons, depending on your perspective) revealed that there was indeed an easy-peasy way to transform vanilla ice cream base into chocolate, long after it’d been made and at my lazy-ass leisure.
Simply reheat some of the base, and then “bloom” cocoa powder in it for flavor depth (chocolate #1), and whisk in some chopped chocolate (chocolate #2) for that silky mouthfeel.
The results are far better than any properly planned and preordained chocolate ice cream. It’s a doozy of a keeper.
Double Chocolate Ice Cream
Adjust proportions to suit your taste, from a lighter chocolate all the way up to a super intense, dark chocolate. The proportions below lean more milk chocolate-y.
Note: This method works best with a non-egg vanilla ice cream base.
To convert a half gallon of vanilla base:
about 2 cups vanilla ice cream base
½ cup cocoa powder (Dutch-processed is best)
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, or milk chocolate, chopped
Bring the ice cream base to a simmer. Whisk in the cocoa powder. It will be lumpy and grainy, but never you worry. All will be well.
Bring the base to a boil to bloom the cocoa, whisking steadily. After a minute or so, the mixture should be creamy and luscious.
Turn off the heat, and add the chopped chocolate. Whisk until it’s thoroughly dissolved. (If desired, lightly whiz the mixture with an immersion blender.)
Add the chocolate base concentrate back into the rest of the vanilla base and stir to combine. Chill completely. Churn.
When transferring the ice cream to a container, layer in brownie crumbles, mashed and torn bits of sea salt chocolate caramels, chopped peanut butter cups, crushed Oreos, and swirls of peanut butter, caramel, fudge sauce, marshmallow cream, etc.
This same time, years previous: civil rights learning tour: Alabama, eat more spinach!, milk, anzac biscuits, with my children, stages of acting, the quotidian (5.4.15), the quotidian (5.5.14), not what we’re used to, the definition of insanity.
