03 Mar Mint Chocolate-Chip Ice Cream

Creamy, cool and just a little bit chocolatey. This mint chocolate-chip ice cream succeeds at being both refreshing and indulgent at once. The ultimate treat on a hot summer’s day! It’s perfect just as it is, scooped into a cone, or served with a rich chocolate sauce for an extra chocolate hit.

The key to the perfect mint ice-cream is subtlety. This refers to both the flavour and the colour. You need only a drop or two of colouring to achieve a beautiful, mild mint-green hue. And go easy on the peppermint flavour too. Heavy-handedness will result in a mouth-numbing and bitter taste.

An ice-cream maker is required to achieved a silky smooth texture.

Ingredients:

250ml milk
500ml cream
Pinch of salt
5 large egg yolks
175ml white sugar
A few drops of green food colouring
10ml* peppermint essence
150g dark chocolate, chopped

Directions:

• Add the milk and cream to a saucepan with half of the sugar and a pinch of salt, and heat over medium heat until just starting to boil. Remove from the heat.
• In the meantime, whisk together the egg yolks and remaining sugar until pale and creamy.
• Carefully pour the hot cream mixture into the egg yolk mixture in a thin stream, whisking constantly to avoid curdling.
• Strain this mixture back into the saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened. The mixture should coat the back of a spoon and have a custard-like consistency.
• Remove from the heat and allow to cool for a few minutes. Add in the food colouring, a drop at a time, until you have a lovely mint green.
• Stir in the peppermint essence.*
• Cover the mixture with clingfilm, pushing the clingfilm right onto the surface of the custard so that it doesn’t develop a skin. Allow to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate overnight.
• Churn the mixture in an ice-cream maker as per the manufacturer’s instructions.
• When the mixture is almost completely churned, add in the chopped chocolate (being careful not to add in any chocolate dust as it will give the ice cream a brownish colour).
• Transfer to a container and freeze until solid, about 3 hours.

* I used Peppermint Essence from Woolworths and needed 2 teaspoons. As flavour strengths vary, I recommend you start with a few drops and keep tasting until you get a mild minty flavour. If you over-flavour the ice-cream, it will become bitter.