This season of Game of Thrones has been absolutely incredible. There have been episodes that have kept us on the edge of our seats and ones that have completely broken our hearts. There have been some epic battle scenes and some heartwarming reunions. Characters have grown and come into their own. I can’t believe the season is coming to a close. I also can’t believe that the show itself may be ending in a few short seasons! It’s unbelievable! I’ll have to get all of my themed ice creams made in that time! Perhaps the next season, I’ll have to make a themed ice cream for every other episode. In the interim, to commemorate the end of this amazing season, and the existence of mint, we have Minter is Coming. It’s made with fresh mint from our backyard infused into a silky custard and finished with a bittersweet chocolate swirl.
This ice cream is made using the same method I’ve used to make my previous custard based ice creams. It’s a five egg custard base with half whole milk and half heavy cream. It’s sweetened with sugar and the mint is coarsely torn and rubbed to help release the essential oils before its dropped into the warm milk base to allow it to infuse effectively. After the mint has infused, the custard is made. Once the custard is done, it’s strained into some cold heavy cream. This small portion of cold cream is kept aside, to help cool the custard down quickly and halt the cooking. Then, it’s chilled overnight.
The next morning, the ice cream is churned. When it was fully done, I drizzled in some melted bittersweet chocolate. This allowed for some variety in the amount of chocolate pulled up with each scoop! You could also use the method that I used in my chocolate hazelnut ice cream if you want more even tiny chips. All in all, the end product is deliciously minty and chocolatey and a fitting tribute to the end of an epic season of Game of Thrones. Stay tuned for more ice cream next season!
Minter is Coming ~ Fresh Mint Ice Cream with Bittersweet Chocolate Swirl
| Prep: | Cook: | Yield: 1 qt of ice cream | Total: |
Celebrate the end of an epic season of Game of Thrones with Minter is Coming: a fresh mint custard ice cream with a bittersweet chocolate swirl!
You'll Need...
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream, divided
- 150 g (3/4 cup) sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 5 sprigs of mint
- 5 egg yolks
- 5 oz bittersweet chocolate chips
Directions
- Heat all of the milk, 1/2 cup of the cream, sugar, and salt in a saucepan, until very warm and steamy. Coarsely tear the mint leaves and rub them gently together. Add to the milk mixture, turn off the heat, cover and allow to steep for about 1 hour. Pour the remaining cup of cream into a large bowl, and place in the fridge to keep chilled.
- After the hour has passed, strain the milk mixture into a bowl using a medium mesh sieve, pressing on the mint leaves in the sieve to extract as much milk as possible. Pour the mint infused milk back into the saucepan and heat until steamy and warm. Whisk the egg yolks together in a separate, heat proof bowl. Slowly pour in 1 ladleful of the mint infused milk into the egg yolks, whisking the whole time. Repeat this process until you've used up half of the mint infused milk. Then slowly pour in the remaining amount, whisking continuously. Return the mint infused millk-egg mixture to the saucepan.
- Place the saucepan over medium heat and stir continuously with a spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir. Stir until the mix thickens and coats the back of your spatula. A good way to test for this is to run your finger across the spatula and ensure that the line left by your finger holds well.
- When the mint custard is sufficiently thick, place a fine mesh strainer over the bowl with the chilled cream that you had previously placed in the fridge. Pour the mint custard into the cold cream and stir to thoroughly combine. You use the fine mesh strainer to catch any egg particles that may have accidentally overcooked. Chill this mixture thoroughly, either using an ice bath or leave in the refrigerator overnight. The goal temperature is less than 40F.
- When the mint custard is thoroughly chilled, freeze according to the instructions on your ice cream maker. When it starts to look like your ice cream is close to setting up, melt the bittersweet chocolate. I melted mine in a glass measuring cup in the microwave by setting it at half power and checking its status every 15 seconds. It ended up taking about 1 minute and 15 seconds but this will vary from microwave to microwave. Allow the ice cream to finish churning.
- When you are packing the ice cream into a storage container, take breaks between every few scoops, drizzle in the chocolate in a thin stream and swirl in using a chopstick. Repeat with the remaining ice cream and chocolate. You may not use all of the chocolate. Place in the freezer and allow to freeze for at least 4 hours.
1 Comment
You are tormenting your father who is presently on “low-indulgence” diet!
One of my favorite flavors.
Love your passion.