Chef Ally
Apricot Flaugnarde
A golden custard that puffs and billows around halved summer apricots, then settles into something tender and barely sweet, the kind of dessert that reminds you fruit is the point.
Culinary Explorer
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Garden Mint Chip Ice Cream
Created by
Fresh garden mint steeped in cream until it tastes like summer itself, churned smooth and studded with dark chocolate that shatters with every bite. This is what mint ice cream was always meant to be.
Desserts
American
Outdoor Dining
Special Occasion
45 min
Active Time
20 min cook•5 hr total
YieldAbout 1 quart
Forget everything you know about mint chip ice cream. Those neon-green scoops flavored with extract have nothing to do with the real thing. Fresh mint steeped in cream is a revelation: bright and herbaceous, tasting of the plant itself rather than toothpaste.
The technique could not be simpler. You warm cream with bruised mint leaves, let them steep until the dairy takes on that pale green tint and unmistakable fragrance, then strain and churn. The mint does the work. Your job is to get out of the way.
I use dark chocolate here, not the waxy chips of commercial ice cream. Good chocolate, chopped fine, becomes those shattering shards that make each bite interesting. The bitterness plays against the sweet cream and cool mint in a way that milk chocolate never could.
This is garden-to-table eating at its simplest. If you grow mint, you likely have more than you know what to do with. Here is one perfect use for it.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
fresh mint leaves and tender stems
Quantity
2 cups packed (about 2 large bunches)
heavy cream
Quantity
2 cups
whole milk
Quantity
1 cup
granulated sugar
Quantity
3/4 cup, divided
fine sea salt
Quantity
1/4 teaspoon
large egg yolks
Quantity
5
dark chocolate (70% cacao)
Quantity
4 ounces
finely chopped
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| fresh mint leaves and tender stems | 2 cups packed (about 2 large bunches) |
| heavy cream | 2 cups |
| whole milk | 1 cup |
| granulated sugar | 3/4 cup, divided |
| fine sea salt | 1/4 teaspoon |
| large egg yolks | 5 |
| dark chocolate (70% cacao)finely chopped | 4 ounces |
Equipment Needed
- •Ice cream maker
- •Heavy-bottomed saucepan
- •Fine-mesh strainer
- •Instant-read thermometer
Instructions
- 1
Bruise the mint
Gather your mint in both hands and twist it gently, then tear the leaves roughly. You want to release the oils without pulverizing the herb. Drop the bruised mint into a heavy-bottomed saucepan. The fragrance should fill your kitchen immediately. If it does not, your mint is not fresh enough.
Pick mint in the morning when the oils are most concentrated. Avoid stems that have flowered, as they turn bitter. - 2
Steep in warm cream
Pour the cream, milk, half the sugar, and salt over the mint. Warm the mixture over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it just begins to steam and small bubbles form at the edges. Do not let it boil. Remove from heat, press the mint gently with a spoon to submerge it, then cover and let steep for one hour. The cream will turn pale green and smell like a garden after rain.
- 3
Strain and rewarm
Set a fine-mesh strainer over a clean saucepan. Pour the steeped cream through, pressing firmly on the mint to extract every drop of flavor. Discard the spent leaves. Rewarm the mint cream over medium heat until it steams again.
- 4
Temper the yolks
Whisk the egg yolks with the remaining sugar in a bowl until pale and slightly thickened, about two minutes by hand. Slowly drizzle one cup of the warm mint cream into the yolks while whisking constantly. This tempers the eggs so they will not scramble. Pour the tempered mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining cream.
Patience here prevents scrambled eggs. A thin stream and constant whisking are your insurance. - 5
Cook the custard
Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula, until the custard thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon. Run your finger through the coating: if it holds a clean line, you are there. This takes eight to twelve minutes. Do not rush it. The temperature should reach 170F but never exceed 180F.
- 6
Chill completely
Strain the custard through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean bowl set over ice water. Stir occasionally until cool to the touch. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until thoroughly cold, at least four hours or overnight. Cold custard churns into smoother ice cream.
- 7
Churn the ice cream
Pour the chilled custard into your ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer's instructions. The ice cream is ready when it holds soft peaks and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, usually twenty to twenty-five minutes. It will look like very thick whipped cream.
- 8
Fold in chocolate
Transfer the churned ice cream to a chilled container in layers, scattering chopped chocolate between each layer. The cold ice cream will cause the chocolate to set into those satisfying chips that shatter against your teeth. Press plastic wrap onto the surface and freeze until firm, at least three hours.
Finely chopped chocolate creates thin shards that distribute evenly. Large chunks freeze into jaw-breaking boulders.
Chef Tips
- •Spearmint produces the cleanest, most familiar mint flavor. Peppermint is sharper and more intense. Chocolate mint, if you can find it, is extraordinary here.
- •The custard base can steep longer for more intense mint flavor. Two hours will not hurt it. Overnight in the refrigerator produces the strongest result.
- •If you want that classic green color without artificial dye, blanch a handful of spinach leaves for thirty seconds, shock in ice water, squeeze dry, and blend into the strained custard. The flavor is undetectable.
- •Let the ice cream temper at room temperature for five to ten minutes before scooping. Straight from the freezer, it will be too hard to serve gracefully.
Advance Preparation
- •The custard base can be made up to three days ahead and refrigerated. Longer chilling often improves the flavor as it continues to meld.
- •Churned ice cream keeps well for up to two weeks in the freezer, though it is best within the first few days before ice crystals form.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 115g)
Calories
415 calories
Total Fat
32 g
Saturated Fat
19 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
11 g
Cholesterol
200 mg
Sodium
110 mg
Total Carbohydrates
29 g
Dietary Fiber
2 g
Sugars
25 g
Protein
5 g
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