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The truth. I don’t like chocolate ice cream. Chips I could abide, sure. I liked the lurid green of a mint chocolate chip as much as the next child of the 80’s. But chocolate ice cream has categorically left me cold my entire life. Until now. It always seemed both a disservice to chocolate and to ice cream. But then I discovered the secret to making a chocolate ice cream worthy of the word chocolate and all its complexity. Can I just do that thing where I proclaim this the Best Chocolate Ice Cream Ever? It involves Lindt chocolate, ganache, and chocolate custard. All at once.
In short: you make a ganache out of a Lindt EXCELLENCE 70% Cocoa bar and chocolate custard out of the best cocoa powder you can afford. And then you mix it. And freeze it. And then throw in the best thing ever: broken up “chips” of the new Lindt EXCELLENCE Blackberry with Acai bar which has the perfect combination of silky dark chocolate with pieces of sweet blackberry and tangy acai berry. Add a swirl of blackberry syrup. And you’re done with all other chocolate ice cream ever.
Could it live without the blackberry? Sure. Make this with or without it. You’ll have no regrets either way. But I find the tart foil to the richness of the chocolate to be deal making, breaking, killing it awesome. I wouldn’t skip it unless berries were out of season and I ran out of my frozen supplies. If brownie batter, if truffle, if all that is holy and chocolate was ice cream, it would be this. I stand behind this with every fiber of my chocolate loving yet simultaneously chocolate ice cream disdaining being: it is a game changer. Privilege richness. Don’t compromise. Is making ice cream from scratch more time consuming than buying? Yes. Definitely, categorically, yes. But. It’s worth it. So, before the heat lets up, make some chocolate ice cream that actually tastes like chocolate.
Ingredients
- 2 Lindt EXCELLENCE 70% Cocoa Bars roughly chopped (7 oz / 200 g)
- 200 mL + 40 mL 1 cup total heavy cream
- 480 mL 2 cups whole milk
- 40 g 1/3 cup high quality cocoa powder
- 100 grams + 50 grams 1/2 cup + 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 6 egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 12-14 oz about 3 cups fresh or frozen blackberries (resulting in about 1 cup blackberry juice puree)
- 1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
- 50 grams sugar 1/4 cup
- 1 bar Lindt EXCELLENCE Blackberry with Acai bar 3.5 oz roughly chopped into chips
Instructions
- Heat 200 mL of the heavy cream until just about to boil but not boiling and pour over the chopped 70% dark chocolate. Let sit for three minutes. Stir until the ganache is completely smooth. Set aside while you make the custard.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer beat the egg yolks with 100 grams (1/2 cup) of the sugar until very pale and thick ribbons form. Meanwhile whisk the cocoa powder in to the whole milk and the additional 40 mL heavy cream and heat over medium until hot. Once hot (but not boiling), slowly pour into the egg mixture with the mixer running on med-low to temper the egg. Return this custard mixture to the pot, whisk in the ganache mixture, and cook on medium/medium-high until thickened and it reaches at least 175°F. Remove from heat, strain, and then whisk in the teaspoon of salt (or salt to taste, I like mine a bit saltier). Chill this covered in the fridge for at least four hours or over night.
- Meanwhile make the blackberry syrup. Puree the blackberries in a blender. Strain (you should have about 1 cup of juice). Place this in a sauce pan with the additional 50 grams of sugar and the vinegar. Cook until reduced by half. Chill in the fridge until ready to use.
- When ready to churn, churn the chocolate base in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturers instructions. When the ice cream is done, Stir in the chocolate chips and layer it with the blackberry syrup. Cover tightly with plastic and place in the freezer. Allow to set out and soften for about 10-15 minutes before serving.
My name is Beth, Elizabeth Evelyn to be exact. A native Tennessean, I was born in the South.
I am the author behind Local Milk Blog.
