I Scream

Sunday marked National Ice Cream Day.  Bastille Day isn't too shabby, but this is a serious holiday.  Ice cream may be my favorite thing.  Scratch that - yesterday I told Derek that creamy, stinky blue cheese is my favorite thing.  Hmmm...blue cheese ice cream?  Not this post, don't worry.

When posed with a choice of ice cream flavors, I very rarely pick one that doesn't have chocolate involved.  So that seemed like a good starting point when I decided to make ice cream on Sunday.  I was thinking I'd go Mexican-style and add some cinnamon, when I realized I had this in my cabinet...

Actual cinnamon-spiked Mexican chocolate, that my mother bought in Mexico last year.  Its supposed to be use to make hot chocolate, but of course it would work for ice cream, too.

Mexican chocolate has a very different texture than the chocolate we're used to.  Its more grainy, and you can see the sugar crystals in it.  I think this is what makes their hot chocolate so frothy when whisked.

So, I was prepared for this to not be a completely smooth ice cream.  The chocolate is melted into half and half, and even after its strained its still a bit lumpy.

But the flavor is really unique.  The cinnamon really shines, and gives the chocolate a slightly smoky, coffee-like flavor.  I didn't add any sugar to this, so it is definitely an adult, subtly sweet dessert.  I do have to admit that this ice cream didn't actually churn properly.  The reason I'm still posting the recipe is that I'm sure the fail is a result of my kitchen being about 85º.  Not ideal ice cream making conditions.  I'm confident that if I had the AC on this would have been perfect.  And frozen chocolate custard soup was still pretty awesome.

Mexican Chocolate Ice Cream
1/2 vanilla bean
8 oz. Mexican chocolate (4 discs), coarsely chopped
3 1/2 cups half and half
6 egg yolks
pinch of salt

• Scrape seeds from half the vanilla bean into a large saucepan
• Add chocolate and half and half and simmer over medium heat until boiling and chocolate is dissolved, whisking constantly.  Remove from heat
• Whisk egg yolks with salt.  Slowly pour a little of the hot chocolate mixture into egg yolks, whisking constantly, to temper yolks.
• Pour egg mixture back into saucepan with chocolate mixture and return to low heat.  Cook, stirring constantly with wooden spoon, until mixture thickens and coats the back of spoon.  If you run your finger over spoon coated in custard, you should form a line.
• Strain mixture through a fine sieve into a medium bowl.  Place bowl into a larger bowl of ice water to chill, stirring occasionally.  Chill longer in fridge to get it really cool.
• Pour chilled custard into bowl of ice cream maker and process according to manufacturers instructions.  Make sure your kitchen isn't too hot or you'll end up with this....