Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

C — It’s a sad, sad day. It’s the last day of summer. I am sad.

I love summer and hate to see it end. I am not a big fan of the other seasons. Fall is too weird here in Sacramento. It can still be 90 degrees one day and the next it can be rainy and gloomy. The weather is bipolar here.

I guess to say good bye to summer. I have to make something really summery to say farewell. ICE CREAM!!! Oh, my memories of ice cream are all coming back to me…

My family used to make “ice cream” when we were little (please note the quotes). It never turned out tasting like ice cream or being ice cream. It was more like a blended milk and fruit, hard-as-a-rock icy concoction. It was gross and I hated eating it. It always tasted like ice, milk and fruit. There was no real flavor to it. My dad would always want to make it too.

We didn’t have an ice cream maker, so the milk and fruit ended up going into the blender then straight into the freezer. No wonder it was hard as a rock. Dad always tried, though.

Well, fast forward to 20 years later and I am making ice cream with a REAL ice cream maker. I’ve been wanting one for a long time. My dad had the idea of making good, natural, and healthy stuff for his kids. Got to hand it to him for that. He didn’t have all the right ingredients or equipment. But, he did try. Maybe that’s why I kept on trying to eat it. Dad, thanks for trying to make ice cream all those years. I am glad we stopped making it.

Here at the Be Mindful. Be Human. kitchen I have been making lots of ice cream. Thank goodness it’s the end of summer and Jim is slowing down his requests for ice cream flavors. I gained 5 pounds on tasting ice cream alone. I definitely got my money’s worth on this guy [the ice cream maker].

We made roasted fig, strawberry, banana coconut chocolate chip, ginger peach, white peach, blackberry gastrique and, this recipe, mint chocolate chip. We’ve only had the ice cream maker for a month! It’s a lot of ice cream.

I love mint chocolate chip ice cream. It’s so refreshing after a meal. It’s almost like brushing your teeth with chocolate. OK, that sounds really gross and weird. Ignore that. Mint chocolate chip ice cream is just plain good. Store-bought mint chocolate chip ice creams uses mint extract and food coloring. Not as natural as I wanted. I really wanted to learn how to make it with real mint leaves. I made it. I am not sure I will ever go back to the store-bought mint extract, fake-colored stuff again. Jim doesn’t even dare bring that stuff into the Be Mindful. Be Human. kitchen.

The custard ice cream is very smooth and creamy, and then you get this hit of mint in your mouth. There is a unique fresh taste of blended up mint. It tastes like real mint and not like flavoring. It doesn’t look artificially colored. It has this dark garden mint green color, not the light green fake tint of the store-bought stuff. Oh yeah, there’s chocolate. Lots and lots of chocolate. I like this.

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Recipe type: Desserts

Author: Christina

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 20 mins

Total time: 25 mins

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1½ cups heavy cream
• 1½ cups coconut milk or whole milk
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 4 large egg yolks
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups mint leaves
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• ½ cup chocolate, minced finely

Instructions

1. In a blender place mint and ¼ cup milk. Blend well until all is completely combined.
2. Combine cream, 1¼ cup milk and sugar in a large saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Stir sugar occasionally until sugar is dissolved, about 5 minute. Turn off stove once cream mixture has bubbles coming from the sides. In another bowl, whisk egg yolks in a large bowl until foamy and light in color, about 3 minutes. Remove cream mixture from heat and slowly pour about 1 cup into the egg yolk, whisk constantly.
3. Pour cream-egg mixture back into the pan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until custard coats the back of the spoon, about 5 minutes. Pour into a large bowl.
4. Combine the cream-egg mixture with the mint.
5. Once the ice cream base is cold, cover and place in the refrigerator to chill completely, at least 3 hours or overnight.
6. Once the base is thoroughly chilled, freeze mixture in an ice cream maker according to the manufacture’s instructions. Add chocolate chips and crushed chocolate in at the very end and mix for 2 minutes. The ice cream will keep in the freezer for up to 10 days.
7. Enjoy!

3.1.07

http://www.chow.com/recipes/12035-fresh-strawberry-ice-cream