Rich Chocolate & Calvados Ice-Cream

Another invention in the ice-cream maker, this time a very rich chocolate and Calvados (apple brandy) ice-cream.

You’ll need an ice-cream maker, 2 eggs, split into yolks and whites, 150g caster sugar, 250ml milk, 150ml double cream and 120g plain chocolate (I used French patisserie cooking chocolate, 75% cocoa)… and a slosh of Calvados 😉

Directions:

1. Before making this, ensure the bowl from your ice-cream maker has been in deep freeze for a day or two otherwise it won’t freeze it properly (it needs to be really cold!).
2. Pour the milk and cream in a saucepan and slowly bring to boiling. As soon as it starts to boil properly add in a splosh of Calvados.
3. While that’s coming to heat, whisk the egg yolks and 50g of the caster sugar in a bowl.
4. Pour the boiling milk/cream mix over the egg yolk/sugar mix, whisking all the time.
5. Return the mix to a pan and add in the chocolate broken into little bits, whisking again to make sure it all merges together.
6. Add a little splosh more Calvados!
7. When it’s nice and creamy and the alcohol has boiled off (important or it won’t freeze), take off the heat and pour into a bowl to cool down.
8. Now we need a meringue type thing to make it a bit more chewy – use an electric whisk to mix up the remaining 2 egg whites and 100g caster sugar until the mix stands in stiff peaks (but isn’t too dry).
9. Take a dessert spoon and while whisking the chocolate-cream mix, add in three dessert spoonfuls of the meringue mix to the now-cooling bowl.
10. When that’s merged, use the electric whisk to remove any final chunks in the chocolate mix and put in the fridge.
11. Once cooled, pour into the ice-cream maker and leave it to churn.

Because it’s so chewy I’ve found that leaving it overnight in the freezer (once churned) gives it a bit more stiffness. You have to be really careful with the alcohol though because it lowers the freezing point of your ice-cream, hence why we add it to the hot mixture so it has chance to evaporate the alcohol off.

There was enough meringue mix left over by the way to make three quite substantial meringues in the oven – something to go in there while the ice-cream is churning maybe 😉