A drunken dark chocolate, with notes of caraway.
Dark chocolate & rye whiskey ice cream
Makes about 1 quart
Chocolate paste:
1/2 cup brewed coffee (any temperature)
1/4 cup sugar
2/3 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 1/2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
Ice cream base:
2 2/3 cups whole milk
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 ounces (4 tablespoons) cream cheese, softened
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
3 tablespoons caraway seeds, lightly crushed
1/2 cup rye whiskey
Advance Prep:
For the chocolate paste: Combine the coffee, sugar, and cocoa in a small saucepan, bring to a boil over medium heat, and boil for 30 seconds, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate. Let stand for a few minutes, then stir until very smooth.
Prep:
Mix about 2 tablespoons of the milk with the cornstarch in a small bowl to make a smooth slurry.
Whisk the cream cheese, warm chocolate paste, and salt in a medium bowl until smooth.
Fill a large bowl with ice and water.
Cook:
Combine the remaining milk, the cream, sugar, and corn syrup in a 4-quart saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir in the caraway seeds and boil for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and gradually whisk in the cornstarch slurry. Bring the mixture back to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, stirring with a heatproof spatula, until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat.
Chill:
Gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the cream cheese mixture until smooth. Stir in the whiskey. Pour the mixture into a 1-gallon Ziploc freezer bag and submerge the sealed bag in the ice bath. Let stand, adding more ice as necessary, until cold, about 30 minutes.
Freeze:
Remove the frozen canister from the freezer, assemble your ice cream machine, and turn it on. Pour the ice cream base into the frozen canister and spin until thick and creamy.
Pack the ice cream into a storage container. Press a sheet of parchment directly against the surface, and seal with an airtight lid. Freeze in the coldest part of your freezer until firm, at least 4 hours.
Excerpted from Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream Desserts by Jeni Britton Bauer (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2014. Photographs by Kelsey McClellan.