Serious chocolate fun has been spreading across the land, but everybody is talking about dark chocolate today – 65%, 72%, 82%, single origin and so on. Higher cacao content is a luxury food fashion. From bakers, dessert book authors and chocolate makers, so many dark chocolates are now available, but I am wondering what happened to milk chocolate – once dominant throughout America.
Milk chocolate bars have been maintaining a quiet existence on the shelves in supermarkets. However, the quality has been inching up. Many are now higher in cacao content and lower in sugar and dried milk product. It’s the birth of a new star – “DARK MILK CHOCOLATE” – and this stuff is good! Old-style milk chocolate contained only 15% or less cacao solids; today many milk chocolate bars contain more than 30%. They are still more mild and sweet, buy now more flavorful.
This ice cream is rich and wonderful. You may cut the egg yolks from four to just two, or use 2 whole eggs for variety. I guarantee this recipe will become your new favorite!
- 8 ounces (225 grams) dark milk chocolate, chopped
- 1 ½ cups (375 ml) heavy cream
- 1 ½ cups (375 ml) whole milk
- ¾ cup (150 grams) sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 4 large egg yolks
- 2 teaspoons cognac or pure vanilla extract (optional)
- ¾ cup (90 grams) cacao nibs
- Warm the milk chocolate and heavy cream in a large heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until the chocolate is melted, then remove from heat and set aside with a fine-meshed strainer nearby.
- In a saucepan, warm the milk with the sugar and salt. Stir together the egg yolks in a small bowl, then gradually add some of the warm milk to them.
- Pour the warmed eggs back into the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring and scraping the bottom constantly with a heatproof spatula, just until the custard thickens enough to lightly coat the spatula, about 2-3 minutes. Strain the custard into the milk chocolate mixture and stir together.
- Stir in the cognac or vanilla extract, if using, then chill thoroughly (at least 2 hours) in refrigerator.
- Turn on the ice cream maker and pour the mixture in the freeze bowl and let mix until thickened according the manufacturer’s instructions... normally about 16-20 minutes. Stir in the cacao nibs a minute before churning stops, and remove the ice cream from the freezing chamber.
- Transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and place in freezer about 2 hours before serving.
- You may make this ice cream without cacao nibs, or using walnuts or almond if you wish.
