This recipe is from a new book by a good friend, talented dessert maven Rose Levy Beranbaum. Rose and I have known each other for over 20 years – we first met on a press trip to Switzerland, where we found ourselves making cheese together at a farm somewhere in the Alps. Professionally, Rose never fails to impress and amaze me with her culinary knowledge and her ability to develop recipes that are not only detailed and foolproof, but are also consistently innovative.

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Rose’s Ice Cream Bliss is full of recipes that are calling my name, so it was difficult to pick just one to feature here. I was tempted by the Turkish Stretchy ice cream, for example, and the Thai Corn and the True Coconut, but the one that I finally settled on is this, a mint chip with a deep mint flavor, courtesy of specks of extra fresh mint leaves added right before churning. I adore it!

In fact, the biggest hurdle was to stop myself from eating the entire quart out of the ice cream machine’s canister. I did manage, though, and I’m very proud of myself. If you love ice cream, do yourself a favor and get this book, you’ll be as thrilled as I am to have it. Get your copy here

Thanks Rose!

Yield: Makes about 1 quart

Ingredients

Ice Cream Base

2 cups lightly packed (53 grams) fresh mint leaves, preferably peppermint
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon (136 grams) milk
1 ½ cups plus 3 tablespoons (392 grams) heavy cream, divided
2/3 cup (133 grams) granulated sugar
Pinch of fine sea salt
6 (to 9) (112 grams) large egg yolks
1 ½ tablespoons (32 grams) glucose
2 to 4 drops green liquid food coloring
½ cup lightly packed (13 grams) extra mint leaves
¾ cup (64 grams) dark chocolate, curls or thickly grated

*Have ready a fine-mesh strainer suspended over a medium bowl.
*Rinse the mint leaves and strip them from the stems. Discard the stems.

Instructions

In a medium saucepan, heat the milk, ¾ cup plus 1 ½ tablespoons (196 grams) of the cream, the sugar, and salt, stirring with a silicone spatula, until very warm (130˚ to 140˚F). Stir in the mint. Cover and remove from the heat. Allow the mixture to steep for 1 hour. Strain and squeeze the leaves to release all the liquid. Discard the leaves.
With a silicone spatula, stir the egg yolks into the mint mixture until incorporated. Then stir in the glucose until well blended.
Heat the mixture on medium-low, stirring constantly, until about the thickness of light cream. When a finger is run across the back of the spatula, it will leave a faint track. An instant-read thermometer should read 170˚ to 180˚F.
Immediately pour the mixture into the strainer, scraping up the thickened mixture that has settled on the bottom of the pan. Press it through the strainer and scrape any mixture clinging to the underside into the bowl.
Stir in the remaining ¾ cup plus 1 ½ tablespoons (196 grams) cream and food coloring, if desired, to achieve a pale green color. Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 8 hours or until no warmer than 43˚F. (Alternatively, cool in an ice water bath.) Set a covered storage container in the freezer.
Shortly before churning the mint custard, use sharp scissors to snip the extra mint leaves into fine pieces. Add the mint to the custard mixture and scrape it into a prechilled ice cream maker. After the ice cream has reached soft serve consistency and begins to ball up around the dasher, add the chocolate curls and continue spinning for just a few seconds, just until they are mixed in. (If using grated chocolate, mix it in gently with a spatula.)
Transfer the ice cream to the chilled container. Press a piece of plastic wrap on the surface of the ice cream, cover the container, and allow the ice cream to firm in the freezer for at least 4 hours before serving. Store in a covered container in the freezer for up to 3 days.