It’s been so….freakin’….hot. I know…it’s summer, but I’m a fortunate, beach community living Southern Californian, so that means there is no humidity and that temperatures below 68F = cold and above 72F= hot. So, when it’s in the upper 80’s and humid {what?}, the locals get a little punchy.
Now, given these “extreme” weather conditions and the fact that it was National Ice Cream Day last weekend, I decided it was time to cool off with some yummy, homemade, peppermint chip ice cream.
{Gina’s Take}
Truth be told, making ice cream is pretty new for me. A few weeks ago there were some photo requests that came in for ice cream, so I gave it a whirl, but didn’t love the recipe. Then came the 2nd attempt – meh. The 3rd, which I kinda burned. Then I found my stride…4th and 5th attempts got it right.
Now, if you’re in the same boat as me and are pretty new to the art of ice cream making, this is a great, simple recipe to start with. The process is just like making cream brulee if you’ve ever been-there-done-that.
Other than an ice cream maker {I borrowed one…and bribed my lovely friend, Harpreet from Kitchen Experiments, with a free batch…then got addicted and bought one}, there is really nothing fancy required. The keys to success are really just 1. Not let the cream come to a boil and 2. Keeping an eye on it in the ice cream maker to get the consistency you desire.
For my ice cream maker, I allowed the machine to freeze the cream for 12 minutes, then added the mini chocolate chips for the last 2 or 3 minutes of churning. I made the mistake when storing my first few batches, of using some cheap, left over plastic Thai food containers, that promptly shattered when I applied too much ‘spoon pressure’, so, now store my ice cream in a Tovolo Glide-A-Scoop Ice Cream Tub. I also found some clearance paper ice cream containers at World Market that I used to deliver some sweet treats to friends.
Ingredients
- 1¼ cups whole milk
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 tsp vanilla paste
- 4 egg yolks
- ½ cup honey
- 1/2 tsp peppermint extract (adjust to taste)
- Pinch salt, optional
- 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a heavy, 2-quart saucepan, combine the milk, cream, vanilla paste, and (optional) salt. Cook over medium heat until you see the first bubbles form around the edges of the pan (5 minutes), then immediately remove from heat and allow to cool down so it's cool enough to handle.
- In a small bowl, combine egg yolks, honey, and peppermint. Whisk until smooth.
- In a medium bowl, pour ~2 cups of the cooled cream (note: if it's too hot, it will scramble the eggs...a little warm is ok), then while constantly whisking, very slowly add the egg mixture to the cream to incorporate.
- Then, gradually whisk into the mint-egg mixture back in to the pot. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, just until the mixture comes to a simmer (~4-5 min...remember...no boiling) and starts to thicken. Remove from heat. The cream be thick enough to coat the back of the spoon.
- Next, take two nesting bowls and fill the bottom one with ice, and rest the empty one on top of the ice. Pour the cream in to the empty bowl and allow the ice in the bottom bowl to cool the cream (~1 hr). Stir occasionally.
- Once the cream is cool, place a layer of plastic wrap directly on to the cream, and place in the fridge to chill for 2 hours or overnight. The plastic wrap directly on the surface will prevent a skin from forming.
- Finally, pour the chilled custard into an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions. Add the mini-chocolate chips ~2 minutes before removing the ice cream from the machine.
- Transfer to a freezer-safe container, cover, freeze until it reaches your desired firmness, and enjoy!
{Pretty Little Tip}
Seriously – don’t let it boil. The second you see your first bubble hit the surface, remove the pan from the heat. Aim for 170F if you have a candy thermometer handy.
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