Fresh Mint Ice Cream with Chocolate Chips

I hold the taste of fresh mint above all other herbs and there is no type of recipe that benefits more from the flavor of fresh mint than ice cream!

Just one taste of ice cream made with fresh mint as opposed to artificial flavored mint will have you hooked!  In fact, I can trace my love of cooking right back to the first time I made this very recipe.

Getting that fresh mint flavor requires you to do a bit of infusion.  Simply put, you heat your herbs into the ice cream base and allow it to absorb those incredibly fresh flavors.

Infusing Mint into Ice Cream

When it comes to ice cream, texture is right up there with flavor.  So to get the proper texture in your ice cream (cold, creamy and devoid of ice flakes), please pay close attention to my instructions.  I provided more than you would normally see on a recipe, but it is worth taking the time to follow them directly.

I also use inverted sugar which will most likely not be stocked at your local grocery store.  You can find it on Amazon.com, however, if you do not have inverted sugar then substitute an extra 1/4 cup of sugar.  The extra sugar will soften the texture of the ice cream although not as effectively as inverted sugar.

Bon Appetit!

Fresh Mint Ice Cream

 

 

Fresh Mint Ice Cream (with Chocolate Chips)
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Recipe type: Dessert
Serves: 1 Quart
Ingredients
  • 2 Cups of Cream (separated)
  • 1 Cup of Milk
  • 2 Egg Yolks
  • ½ Cup Sugar
  • ½ Cup of Inverted Sugar (sub with an extra ¼ cup of sugar if you don't have)
  • 1 t of Salt
  • 2 Cups of Fresh Mint
  • 2 Oz Chopped Chocolate (60% Cacao)
Directions
  1. Place 1 cup of cream in a metal bowl and place over ice
  2. Place into a medium saucepan the rest of the cream, the milk, the sugar, the inverted sugar and the salt. Cook on medium heat until everything melts together.
  3. Add the fresh mint (don't chop it) and cook the mixture until it just begins to boil. Immediately take off heat and cover for 1 hour.
  4. After 1 hour strain the mint mixture through a fine strainer making sure the press on the mint to extract all of the flavor. Return mixture to saucepan and reheat on medium low.
  5. In a separate bowl beat the egg yolks. Slowly add the heated mint mixture **IMPORTANT: while you are adding the mixture make sure you are furiously whisking the mixture to prevent the eggs from cooking!
  6. Once half the warmed mint mixture is mixed with the egg yolks, pour the mint and egg yolk mixture into the saucepan and continue to heat on medium low heat.
  7. Continue to heat the mixture until it thickens enough to cover the back of a spoon and leave a tracer of your finger (SEE IMAGE BELOW).
  8. Once you get the proper thickness, strain the mixture into the cream you have set aside in the ice bath to stop the cooking process. You may see some small curdles of cooked egg, but that is okay as long as you strain the mixture.
  9. Stir the mixture and wait for it to reach at least room temperature so that it is safe to put in the fridge. At that point cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate anywhere from 2 hours - Overnight.
  10. Freeze the custard in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
  11. Add the chopped chocolate to the ice cream a minute before removing from ice cream maker.
  12. Freeze overnight.
Notes
Inverted sugar is a great way to control the texture of your ice cream and provide a creamy after finish without those annoying ice crystals. You can find inverted sugar on Amazon.com (it is not in most grocery stores). If you decide to make the ice cream without, simply add another ¼ cup of sugar.

The colder the mixture you add to the ice cream maker, the less it has to churn. The less you churn your ice cream the better the texture, so DON'T BE LAZY and skip cooling down your mixture. I learned that the hard way!
Here is what your custard should look like when it is ready to take off the flame!

Making Ice Cream Custard

 

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