The Surprise Ingredient

The second chocolate recipe I tried tonight had an ingredient that I never thought to use in ice cream - cream cheese (1/4 cup). This was the first time I used half-n-half instead of whole milk/heavy cream and this version doesn't have eggs. I also halved the amount of Scharffen Berger since too much fine artisan chocolate can be overwhelming. This recipe was simple and quick to make and had a syrupy texture after cooking compared to the base of yesterday's ice cream, which turned out so rich and thick, it was like a frozen mousse. It'll be interesting to see how this one comes out after a night of refridgeration and a churn in the machine.

As mentioned in my previous post, the ice cream will be dessert for a small Oscar get-together tomorrow. My friend Kymm is a huge Mickey Rourke fan and she convinced me to see his movie, so I'll dedicate this recipe to her and call it, "Mud Chocolate Wrestling."

And in honour of a great movie and an even greater man, I'll name the batch of ice cream I made yesterday, "Harvey Milk Chocolate."

Next Up, Chocolate

After a busy few weeks and a weekend trip to Vancouver, I'm back to making ice cream and about to complete a Neapolitan trifecta - I attempted vanilla, strawberry and now chocolate!

I'm trying two chocolate recipes (one has an unexpected ingredient) to see if there's a noticeable difference in taste, texture and consistency. I'm bringing both to an Oscar gathering on Sunday for a taste test and curious to know which they'll like better. But I'm 100% sure that choosing quality chocolate is the way to go. I picked Scharffen Berger over Hersheys or Ghirardelli, and yes, I used the entire 9.7 ounces (275 g) of dark chocolate bliss. Organic Clover milk, cream and eggs were also used. Once I heated and cooled the base mixture, it turned out thicker and creamier than any of my previous batches, like a pudding, and the chocolate flavour was super intense and decadent. I can't wait to throw it in the machine tomorrow and try in its frozen form!

But this may be the last time I splurge on such wonderful ingredients after seeing the bill at the Whole Foods check-out counter. I'll either have to start making more economical, recession-friendly ice cream or possibly give up shoe shopping.