Dark Chocolate Ice Cream
Dark chocolate ice cream may not have earned its place as a summer staple in your household yet, but it definitely should! This rich and delicious treat serves as an impressive dessert for your next summer dinner party (or any dinner party throughout the year).
High-Quality Chocolate
Using high-quality chocolate is paramount in this recipe. I recommend using 70% or 80% dark chocolate. However, if you have a favorite 65% dark chocolate with exceptional flavor, you can use that as well, keeping in mind that it will be slightly sweeter. Personally, I have tried both 70% and 80% chocolates and loved the results. Since the chocolate provides all the flavor, it’s crucial to use the best quality chocolate available. If you opt for low-quality or unappealing-tasting chocolate, it will affect the taste of your ice cream.
Dextrose
Now, let’s briefly discuss dextrose. I’ll admit, high school chemistry class wasn’t my strongest suit, so take what I’m about to say with a grain of salt. From my understanding, dextrose is essentially glucose, the same glucose that naturally exists in our bloodstream. There’s nothing frightening about it; it’s simply a sugar like any other. However, dextrose is sweeter and has a higher freezing point than regular sugar. This is precisely why it is added to ice creams – it helps prevent ice crystals from growing too large. This is the secret to achieving excellent ice cream texture!
In my professional career, nearly all the ice creams and sorbets I’ve made contain stabilizers. Stabilizers shouldn’t raise any concerns! They are there to enhance texture, without which ice cream wouldn’t be the beloved treat we know. Unfortunately, ice cream stabilizer isn’t readily available on grocery store shelves. Therefore, I’ve chosen not to include it in the recipe I’m sharing with you. Every ingredient I use can be found at well-stocked grocery stores or health food stores, including dextrose. You can find it here. If you can’t find it, you can substitute regular sugar, but be aware that it may affect the texture.
Serving
My favorite way to serve chocolate ice cream, especially dark chocolate, is with a drizzle of olive oil. It may sound a bit unusual, but trust me on this one. Take a generous scoop (remember, this ice cream is quite rich), and place it in a chilled bowl. Freezing the bowl isn’t necessary, but it helps prevent the ice cream from melting too quickly and creates a more elegant presentation. Using the back of your spoon, create a small hollow in the center of the scoop and fill it with about a tablespoon of high-quality extra virgin olive oil. Yes, a whole tablespoon or even more! Lastly, sprinkle a generous pinch of flaky salt on top. The result is an elegant, sophisticated, and delicious dessert that will impress your guests.
Dark Chocolate Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 575 g whole milk
- 50 g cream
- 100 g sugar
- 36 g dextrose
- 28 g milk powder
- 4 egg yolks
- 200 g 70% or 80% chocolate
Instructions
- Place 200g of chocolate in a bowl and melt it. Set it aside for now.
- In a pot, combine 36g dextrose, 28g milk powder, 575g whole milk, and 50g cream. Stir well to combine and set aside.
- In a separate bowl, mix 4 egg yolks and 100g sugar together. Stir them together just before using, as the sugar can “cook” the yolks if left too long.
- Heat up the milk mixture in the pot, stirring continuously until it starts to steam.
- Remove the pot from the heat and gradually add the hot milk mixture into the yolks while stirring constantly to prevent cooking the eggs.
- Place the combined mixture back on the stove. While whisking vigorously and continuously, bring it to a temperature of 83°C (181°F). As soon as it reaches 83°C, remove it from the heat and strain it into a bowl. Allow it to cool to around 50°C (122°F).
- Once the base has cooled down, add a bit of it at a time to the melted chocolate, breaking it up and creating a grainy texture. Keep adding a bit of the base and stirring until the chocolate comes together and forms a smooth ganache. Once the chocolate is fully emulsified, add the remaining base and stir very well. Cover the mixture with plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until completely cool. It’s best to leave it overnight, but at least 3 hours of cooling time is necessary.
- Take the cooled base and pour it into your ice cream machine. Follow the instructions of your machine to churn the mixture.
- Once churned, transfer the ice cream to a container and let it set in the freezer for at least 30 minutes before serving.