Rich Chocolate Ice Cream made extra delicious (spoiler alert: with Ovaltine)

I am from a family of 7 – that’s 7 distinct personalities, 7 distinct opinions. Add to the mix that the ‘baby’ of the family is now 23 and well there isn’t a whole lot we all agree on. We do share two things in common – emotions that run high and deep and an unwavering love for ice cream. There is no time place or season that it is not appropriate to stuff your face with ice cream. Because I don’t want my readers to worry about my mental health I tend to avoid posting ice cream recipes in the middle of Canadian winters, but now it is spring it is time to share with you the wonders churned out by my cuisinart.

This ice cream recipe is a popular one I have made over and over again and here is what I have learnt – the quality of the chocolate and the flavour of the cocoa make all the difference. Yes,  yes, I am Captain Obvious. But really, this isn’t the time to use your store brand chocolate chips, this is the time to bring out bars of darker chocolate you would actually like to eat. I had a 70% cacao bar handy instead of the recommended semisweet and I was reaching for my cocoa powder (grocery store stuff, nothing fancy) when I remembered something, a slightly acrid after taste I didn’t care for and I put down the cocoa powder and reached for some good ol’ Ovaltine.

The dark chocolate gives the ice cream depth and body while the Ovaltine with its malt-y smoothness gently rounds it out for an overall experience that is rich luscious perfection. You are welcome to make this with cocoa powder instead and know that it will still be lovely, but if you have some Ovaltine like I did then why not. Oh and if you do have Ovaltine throw away your previous chocolate frosting recipe and make this one.

Rich Chocolate Ice Cream
1 Quart

1 ½ cups heavy cream
1 ½ cups whole milk
½ cup Ovaltine (or unsweetened cocoa powder)
4 ounces chocolate, finely chopped - if using cocoa stick to semisweet otherwise you can go darker
4 large egg yolks
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Prepare an ice water bath by filling a large bowl halfway with ice and water; set aside. Then set a fine-mesh strainer over a large heatproof bowl and set aside.

Combine the milk and cream in a large saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Remove from the stove and whisk in the cocoa till dissolved, add in those delicious chocolate pieces and whisk till they melt away.

Whisk egg yolks in a large bowl until smooth. Gradually add sugar whisking until the mixture is pale yellow and thickened, 2-3 minutes. This is what will give the ice cream a luxurious velvetiness. Slowly pour about a quarter of the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture, whisking constantly so the hot mixture doesn’t scramble the eggs.

Pour chocolate-egg mixture back into the saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. When you draw your finger across the spoon and it makes a mark through the mixture, which does not run back on to itself then you know you're done. This takes 5-7 minutes.

Remove from heat and strain into the bowl you had set aside earlier. Stir in the vanilla extract and set over the ice bath for about 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove the chocolate base from the ice bath, cover, and place in the refrigerator until completely chilled, at least 3 hours or overnight. Freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. like to drizzle the top with chocolate fudge and swirl it in with a toothpick. It looks pretty, but the ice cream does not need any gussying up. It will keep in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 1 week.