It’s been a long week, and yes, I realize it’s only Wednesday (or was, when I started writing this post), but my latest cheesemaking project is defeating me (going entirely to hell in its not-yet-blue handbasket), I’m still dealing with my ongoing existential angst (just because I don’t write about it doesn’t mean it’s not happening), and then, to top things off, I made a lime ice cream that tastes like vomit.
Thank goodness I’ve figured out how to make a mean mint-chip ice cream.
At least there’s that.
A few things about this ice cream.
The Mint: Don’t put too much in, but don’t put in too little, either. The first couple times around, I used only 4-6 drops of peppermint oil. This last time I used more like, oh…20? Start with 8 drops and taste your way to perfection. (For more details, see the note at the start of the recipe below.)
The Dairy: I don’t really measure (sorry). I aim for 3-4 cups total, generally 2 parts cream to 1 part milk, but you can do whatever you want: a mashup of evaporated milk, some half-and-half, yogurt or sour cream, etc. Your fridge is the limit.
The Green: You gotta color the ice cream base. I tried it without the green food coloring and it wasn’t right. Don’t argue. Do it.
The Chocolate: I’ve been putting in larger shards of chocolate but my younger daughter just bought some Turkey Hill Mint Chip and check out how pebbled their ice cream is:
Next time I’m a-gonna chop that chocolate up fine.
While this ice cream base is more complicated than some, keep in mind that once you make it a couple times it will become almost second nature (as does any recipe, if you make it often enough). I’ve been making so much ice cream recently that, except for the sugar and cornstarch, I no longer measure any of the ingredients. My theory is: use enough cream and it’ll turn out fine. (Unless you use old cream and ruin an entire cheese, or add too much lime concentrate and turn the ice cream into a pile of cold vomit. In those cases, no amount of cream will fix things.)
Mint Chip Ice Cream That’s Almost Exactly Like Turkey Hill’s!
I recently posted a video of me making this ice cream base, if watching cooking videos is your jam. (In the video, I used the base to make a blueberry swirl ice cream.)
Peppermint extracts and oils vary wildly! I use this one — LorAnn Oils: Peppermint Oil — and after a ridiculous amount of trial and error, I have finally locked in the exact amount: 8-9 drops. (And yes, I use a dropper. Precision is imperative.)
2 cups cream (half-full quart jar)
1 cup milk (raise the level in the jar to three-quarters full)
⅔ cup sugar
2 tablespoons corn syrup (a brief pour)
1½ ounces cream cheese (a lump)
⅛ teaspoon salt (2 pinches)
4 teaspoons cornstarch in a couple tablespoons of milk
peppermint oil or extract, to taste
a few drops green food coloring
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (several fistfuls)
2-3 teaspoons coconut oil (a blob)
Put the cream, milk, sugar, and corn syrup into a kettle, heat until boiling, and then let simmer-bubble for 4 minutes.
Whisk the cornstarch with a little milk and add it to the hot cream-milk mixture. Boil for another minute and then remove the kettle from the heat.
Put the salt and cream cheese in a small bowl. Add a little scoop of the hot milk and whisk until smooth. Add the creamy cream cheese mixture back to the pot. Add the peppermint oil, tasting until it’s the right amount of minty. Add the green food coloring until it’s as green as you want it.
Chill the base for 5-8 hours (if you want to speed things up, set it in a pan filled with cold water and ice), or overnight.
Right before churning the ice cream, put the chocolate chips and coconut oil in a double boiler and heat until melted, stirring frequently. Spread the chocolate on a piece of parchment and then transfer to the fridge to chill.
Churn the ice cream. When it’s almost done, chop the chocolate into bits (or break into shards) and add about half of the chocolate to the maker while it’s running. When the ice cream is done churning, transfer it to a container, layering in the remaining chocolate as you go.
Freeze the ice cream for 3-5 hours to firm up, and then dig in!
This same time, years previous: Southern sweet tea, blueberry muffins, the quotidian (9.1.14), caramelized oat topping, why I don’t teach my kids science.
