Chocolate Sorbet #AbramsDinnerParty

As part of the Abrams Dinner Party, I've been getting all of the cookbooks from Abrams Books at no cost to me. Yay, me. Send bookcases.

The most recent book to land with a thud on my doorstep was Ibiza, Land and Sea by Francoise Pialoux.

The subtitle of the book is 100 Sun-Drenched Recipes, so of course I expected a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables. And since Ibiza is an island off the coast of Spain, I expected seafood.

There were a couple potato recipes that looked pretty darned good (I kind of love potatoes and had a fresh bag of them waiting to be cooked), then I thought about making a lemon tart (mmm, lemon) or eggplant parmesan.

But then I found myself in the chocolate chapter, and I got stuck there. And then I saw the chocolate sorbet. I knew I had to make it.

This is a freakishly simple recipe with just a few simple ingredients. The result is pretty amazing. It's rich. Almost like a very cold ganache or a super-rich gelato. If I didn't tell you there was no dairy, you might assume it's simply a super-rich ice cream. It's not crazy sweet, but it's sweet enough. But still, you could serve it with something sweet, like the dulce de leche in the book, or maybe a pillow of sweetened whipped cream. But really, it's great on its own, although I really do suggest small servings. It's worth savoring.

Because this has so few ingredients, you'll want to choose a chocolate that you love, because that's what this is going to taste like.

The recipe calls for mineral water, which isn't something I ever have on hand, so I used plain old tap water. Next time I'm at the store, I'll grab some mineral water and see what difference it makes.

Since this book has a European heritage, it's assumed you're going to weigh the ingredients. I'm fine with that, but if you don't have a scale, you'll need to convert the weights to volumes. Some of the ingredients also needed a little translation, like the caster sugar called for in this recipe. I couldn't remember if caster sugar was granulated or powdered sugar, so I asked my cooking buddy Alexa who told me that it was a finely granulated sugar. I went with regular granulated sugar. It was supposed to melt, anyway, so it seemed like it would work.

This stuff is definitely a keeper.

Chocolate Sorbet
From Ibiza, Land and Sea by Francoise Pialoux

120 grams (4 ounces) caster sugar
200 grams (7 ounces) dark chocolate, 53-60% cocoa solids
80 grams (2 1/2 ounces) bitter chocolate powder

In a saucepan, combine the caster sugar (I used regular granulate sugar) with 1/2 liter (2 cups) mineral water. (I used tap water. Yes, I'm a risk taker!)

Heat over a moderate flame, stirring until the sugar has melted.

Now add the chocolate, broken into pieces, and mix. Remove from the heat as soon as the chocolate has melted.

Add the cocoa powder, stir, and allow to cool.

Pour into an ice cream maker or turbine to freeze.

Yup, I did get this book at no cost to me.

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Vanilla Ice Cream

Click here for a coloring book version of this!

Vanilla ice cream might sound ... well, plain vanilla. But it's a good test of a new ice cream book. And just because I made unadorned vanilla ice cream doesn't mean I ate it that way. I had plenty of dulce de leche to use up from my recent sous vide experiments.

And to be honest, I like vanilla ice cream a lot. If it's made well, and it's rich and creamy, and it was made with good vanilla extract, it can stand on its own, without strong flavor covering the vanilla-ness.

Speaking of books, this recipe was from The Homemade Ice Cream Recipe Book by Robin Donovan. I got it from the publisher and immediately started to browse. The first thing that struck me was that many of the recipe used the same proportion of cream to milk to eggs - two cups of cream to one cup of milk to six eggs.

At first, I thought, uh oh, there are going to be a bunch of recipes that are all the same except one will have vanilla extract and another will have mint. But after looking more, that's not the case. That ratio happens to be a very good one for making a rich ice cream, so it makes sense that it's used over and over.

The funny thing is that I got another book recently (not an ice cream book) that had an ice cream recipe with the same ratio. Like I said, it makes good ice cream. And it's the right amount to fit into most home ice cream makers, so that's probably the reason it's so common.

The first chapter with recipes is called Classics and Standouts, and it's the more common flavors, from vanilla to mint chip to cookies and cream. The next is chocolatey flavors, followed by nutty, fruity, and party flavors, followed by a chapter of sherbets and frozen yogurts. It finishes with a chapter of cones, toppings, and other non-ice cream recipes.

I already have a couple of ice cream books, but it's always fun to try new recipes. The brown butter pecan is definitely on my list to try. Meanwhile, I was really happy with this vanilla. It uses a little less sugar than my standard for this amount - I usually use 3/4 cup, while this uses 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons. And I was perfectly happy with that level of sweetness, AND the texture of the ice cream.

Vanilla Ice Cream
Adapted The Homemade Ice Cream Recipe Book by Robin Donovan

2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
6 large egg yolks
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup whole milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

The recipe suggests cooking this mixture in a double boiler. I've done that and I've also cooked it on the stove. And I've cooked it in the Kitchenaid Precise Heat Bowl, which is very precise and won't overcook the mixture. Do it any way you're comfortable - the key is to heat it slowly and never let it get so hot that the eggs begin to scramble, because that's just ugly.

Combine the cream, sugar, egg yolks, and salt in your preferred cooking vessel. Heat slowly, stirring continuously, until it thickens and reaches a temperature of 170-175 degrees.

Strain the mixture though a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. Add the milk and vanilla to the bowl and stir well. To speed cooling you can set this bowl in a larger bowl filled with ice water and stir until it has cooled down. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled.

Churn in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. When frozen, transfer to a storage container and freeze until firm.

I received the cookbook from the publisher at no cost to me.

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Cholaca Chocolate ice Cream

Thanks to blogger events sponsored by Sprouts (the grocery store, not bean sprouts or anything peculiar like that), I keep finding new products that I absolutely go crazy over. This time around, it's a chocolate product called Cholaca.

Oh. My. Gosh.

Liquid cacao. You have to try this.

This stuff is like liquid happiness. Which, actually, it is, since it boosts seratonin levels, and that's the stuff that makes you happy. Plus, it has theobromine, which boosts energy. After sampling way more Cholaca products than a normal person would consume on a normal day (except maybe for Ira, who runs the company) I was feeling energized and happy. In a good way.

And without the jitters that I sometimes get with coffee. Which is awesome.

The first thing I sampled was a special concoction that Ira had discovered when he went into the kitchen for an afternoon pick-me-up of Cholaca, while a co-worked was grabbing a can of Coke. Ira had the bright idea to pour a little Cholaca into some Coke. He was telling a few of us about this, and when we expressed curiosity (horror? amazement?) he skedaddled off and came back with a can of coke and some Cholaca. So of course we had to try that. It was different, but good.

And that's where the epic chocolate journey started.

This is where it ended. Mmm. Ice cream.
Download this photo as a coloring book page!

So anyway, the main product that Cholaca makes is a liquid cacao that's emulsified with water to make it drinkable. There are three different versions, but the only difference is the sweetness level. The original has just a little coconut sugar. There's a sweet version that has a little more coconut sugar. And there's an unsweetened version. They suggest a 2-ounce shot as an energy booster and happiness maker. Or mix it with some milk and heat it up for a crazy good hot chocolate.

If you've read this blog more than once, you probably know that I don't like coconut. However (mysteriously) coconut sugar is fine. Probably because it's made from the sap and not the fruit. Just like maple syrup is made from maple sap and not ... uh ... some other part of the tree.

So anyway, the next thing we tried was a straight-up shot of Cholaca that was served in a cute little jar. I polished that off in no time. And then we moved on to hot chocolate. Oh heck yeah. The hot chocolate was freaking amazing. And not overly sugary.

And then the chocolate wafers appeared. Wafers! These are intended as baking chocolate and are totally unsweetened. Right now, there are two different types available based on the country of origin, so you can choose Cholaca wafers from Ecuador or from Peru.

Have you ever tasted unsweetened chocolate? It's pretty ... not so good. But I ate a couple wafers while we decorated gingerbread cookies. The wafers were actually very nice, thanks to the high level of cocoa butter that's in them (this is what Ira told me).

By that time I was super-happy and made a demented gingerbread dude with part of his arm eaten by a shark. He got a little smudged during the trip home, but I think it only adds to the appeal.

Download this photo as a coloring book page!

And then we made a sugar scrub using white sugar, coconut sugar, cholaca, olive oil, and coconut oil. At that point, I wanted to just dive in and eat the scrub, coconut and all, but I decided I should behave myself.

And then there were the parting gifts from Cholaca. We each got a bottle of Cholaca (we got to choose between original and sweet) and some of those wafers. And a cute mug. And the jar of sugar scrub (I put mine in a different container when I got it home) and of course we brought home the cookies, too. No, they didn't give us ice cream to take home.

Oh, and if you're wondering how I made ice cream when that bottle of Cholaca seems to be full, it's because I immediately bought MORE of it.

Oh! Those wafers! I've set mine aside to bake with. I have ideas. Ira popped in during the cookie decorating to mention that the wafers might not be a perfect substitute for regular baking chocolate in a recipe because of the high cocoa butter content.

No worries. I think I can handle that.

At some point during the evening, I mentioned that I wanted to put Ira in a bottle and take him home with me. I have no idea what that even means, but his enthusiasm was obvious. He loves his job. He loves chocolate. He wants everyone to get to know the best chocolate in the entire world!!! Yup, he really loves his product. But he talked about it in an engaging way, and not in a pushy way and he spent some time talking about where the cacao is grown and how he's helping the local farmers. It was really interesting, but I was itching use the Cholaca in a recipe.

I had the good sense not to start cooking when I got home (although I was tempted) but it wasn't long before I decided to use some of the liquid Cholaca to make ice cream. The wafers will have to wait a bit, but I already have sooooo many ideas.

Okay, many of the ideas involve me hoarding the wafers and popping them into my mouth on a regular basis. But I might have to make brownies. Or ... something.

But first, Cholaca ice cream.

This is a very creamy ice cream, and not crazy sweet. It's not a super-dark-chocolate ice cream, so if that's what you're looking for, you'll need to add more chocolate in some form. I liked it the way it was, though.

Cholaca Chocolate Ice Cream

1 cup heavy cream
2 cups half-and-half
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup Cholaca original
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix everything together until the sugar and salt are completely dissolved. If the mixture isn't super-cold (most of the ingredients should be cold, except that sugar, right?) place it in the refrigerator to get a little chillier.

Churn in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instruction.

Transfer to a storage container and freeze until firm. There is likely to be a little bit that doesn't fit in your container. I suggest you eat that right away. Quality control is very important, you know.

Thanks to Sprouts for sponsoring the event, supplying additional non-Cholaca goodies, and of course thanks to Cholaca for hosting and supplying their products. 

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Malted Milk Ice Cream

The weather here is still swinging wildly between nice and chilly, and my cooking has been keeping pace with the weather. The other day, I made soup from leftovers (no recipe for you there, sorry!) and a batch of ice cream.

This is a quick and easy recipe - no need for cooking anything. Just mix, refrigerate, and churn. And if you've got an ice cream maker with its own compressor, like the Breville ice cream maker that I have, you don't even need to chill the mixture.

If you have an ice cream maker with a bowl that needs to be frozen before churning, you'll get the best result if your ice cream base is cold before you start to churn.

Malted Milk Ice Cream

2 cups heavy cream
1 can chocolate sweetened condensed milk (this is sold seasonally - I stocked up - if you can't find it, use regular sweetened condensed milk and add chocolate syrup to taste.)
1/2 cup malted milk powder (the kind you mix with cold milk - not the one you need to heat)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

Combine all of the ingredients, mix well, and chill until cold.

Churn in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to a storage container and freeze until firm.

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Chocolate and coffee frozen yogurt

So ... I made a whole lot of yogurt recently, and then I decided that I needed some frozen yogurt.

So I made some. With chocolate and coffee. Because that's how I roll.

This made enough of the base mix for about 2 batches of ice cream in my ice cream maker. Or maybe 1 1/2 batches, considering I ended up with a bit less than two quarts, but you're better off making two batches than overfilling the freezer bowl and making a mess or under-churning..

Vanilla butternut extract is one of my favorite extract. I use it mostly in vanilla ice cream, but it's great it other things - like this chocolate frozen yogurt.

The bourbon makes this an adult ice cream, but you can certainly leave it out, if you prefer.

Chocolate and Coffee Frozen Yogurt

1 quart Greek-style yogurt (store-bought or homemade)
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup chocolate syrup
1/4 cup cold-brew coffee concentrate
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla butternut extract (optional)
Up to 1/4 cup bourbon (optional)

Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl. whisk well to combine. Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight before churning in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions (dividing into multiple batches, if necessary).

Transfer to containers and freeze until firm.

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Mardi Gras King Cake Coffee Whole-Egg Ice Cream

I love making ice cream. I love eating ice cream. I love the richness of custard-based ice creams.

However, I'm not fond of separating eggs. It's not that I hate to do it, but it annoys me that it leaves me with the other half of the egg that I need to find a use for. So, I thought, why not make ice cream that uses the whole egg?

I mean, why not?

There's actually a pretty good reason why not.

The problem is that whites and yolks cook at slightly different temperatures, and it's pretty hard to regulate temperatures precisely on a normal stove. So if you leave the egg whites in, there's a greater chance you'll get curdled egg bits.

There are probably other reasons, but that's the one I'm addressing here. The magic way to use the whole darned egg.

You see, I just got a new gadget: the Precise Heat Mixing Bowl that works as an attachment to a KitchenAid mixer. It also which also functions as a stand-alone cooker. Note: not a freebie. I paid actual money for this. It cooks things to ... you guessed it - precise temperatures.

I experimented with it a bit with other recipes, boiled some water, and then decided to give whole-egg ice cream a whirl. I mean, why not? What's the worst thing that could happen?

Usually I make ice cream in warmer weather, but some recipes just NEED to be made in cold weather. Like this Mardi Gras Coffee Ice Cream. The idea was prompted by the receipt (free, this time) of some Mardi Gras King Cake flavored ice cream.

And then I was staring at that mixer thingie and wondering if it would actually work.

Turns out, it did.

If you don't have the magic mixing bowl, I suggest using just the yolks and cooking you mix on the stovetop as you would for any custard-based ice cream. Like this Butterscotch Ice Cream. Or this Salted Butter Pecan Brittle Ice Cream.

If you do have the mixing bowl attachment thingie, or you're thinking about getting one, this is a recipe you might want to save. Oh - and if you're thinking about buying it, keep in mind that this is an accessory that is not universal. There are different models for the tilt-head and bowl-lift mixers.

Mardi Gras King Cake Coffee Whole-Egg Ice Cream

1 cup milk (plus more as needed)
1/4 cup Mardi Gras King Cake flavor ground coffee
2 cups heavy cream
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar

Combine the milk with the coffee grounds and let it steep for at least a few hours, or overnight in the refrigerator. The longer it steeps, the stronger the coffee flavor will be.

Strain the grounds out of the milk with a small strainer, then strain again through a coffee filter or paper towel to get out the sediment. Discard the grounds and sediment. The coffee grounds will have absorbed some of the milk, so add more milk to the coffee-flavored milk
so you have 1 cup.

Combine all of the ingredients in the Precise Heat Mixing Bowl. Whisk well to make sure the egg is completely broken up, then continue stirring to make sure the sugar is dissolved.

Set the heat on the bowl to 165 degrees and put the cover on. Let it come up to temperature, stirring occasionally.

When the bowl attains the 165 temperature, remove the cover, attach the bowl to the stand mixer and attach the whisk to the stand mixer. Turn the mixer to low.

Set the heat on the bowl to 170 degrees and the timer to 5 minutes. If you like, you can drape a kitchen towel over the stand mixer and bowl to help retain the heat.

You'll see that the temperature will begin to drop. That's because it's measuring the temperature of the bowl, and the mixture in the center is likely to be cooler. You're also introducing cooler air as you mix. Don't fret, the temperature will begin to rise. When it reaches 170 degrees, the timer will start counting down.

When the time is up, remove the bowl from the stand mixer. The mixture will be thin, but it will thicken as it cools.

Refrigerate the mixture until it's fully chilled, then churn in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

I received samples of coffee from Community Coffee Company, but was not required to use it in a recipe. However, after my neighbor told me multiple times how much she liked it, I figured I'd do something creative with it. The flavor isn't super-strong to the point where you're wouldn't want to drink it every day. It's got a hint of cinnamon and vanilla that's very pleasant.

And to repeat ... no, I didn't get the bowl for free, and I was not paid, coerced or cajoled into publishing a recipe. I think I'll be doing even more recipes for it, since there aren't tons of them available, and so far I'm having a whole lot of fun with it.

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White Chocolate and Hibiscus Ice Cream

The great thing about having an ice cream maker is that I can make ice cream any time I want to - and any flavor I like.

And then sometimes it starts with a flavor or product that I want to use in an interesting way. Sometimes it's something I found in a store. Sometimes it's something I found hiding in a corner of the pantry. Sometimes it's a new product that I got from a company.

This time around, I had some hibiscus flowers in syrup that I wanted to use. They came to me through 37 Cooks from the Wild Hibiscus Flower Company, and I thought the flavor would be lovely in ice cream.

If you're not familiar with 37 Cooks, go check out the blog and see what we've been up to lately.

When I was brainstorming the ice cream recipe, I decided that I wanted something besides hibiscus flavor. I chose white chocolate for its mild flavor, and I added a bit of vanilla for the deepness of flavor it adds.

And ... I decided to make the ice cream eggless, to let the delicate flavors shine through.

The result is a creamy ice cream with a sweet, fruity, floral flavor. The color is a very pale mauve; barely discernible unless you're looking for the color.

For the white chocolate, I used a bar of Lindt white chocolate, which weighed 4.4 ounces. If you buy a different brand that is a little larger or smaller, it's perfectly fine.

White Chocolate and Hibiscus Ice Cream

4.4 ounces (a little more or less is fine) white chocolate
1 cup milk
2 cups heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup hibiscus syrup (from hibiscus flowers in syrup)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup sugar

Chop the white chocolate into small pieces and place in a microwave safe bowl or measuring cup. Add the milk. Microwave in 30-second increments, stirred after each heating session, until the chocolate melts completely.

Combine all of the ingredients, including the milk and chocolate mixture in a bowl. Stir until the sugar is completely melted. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the mixture until it is completely chilled. I usually mix it up the day before I want to churn it.

When the mixture is fully chilled, churn in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to a container and freeze until firm.

I received product from Wild Hibiscus Flower Company through 37 Cooks in order to create recipes.

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No-Cook, No-Churn Vanilla Malted Milk Ice Cream

When you churn ice cream in an ice cream maker, it freezes the product and at the same time it adds air to the mixture. If it wasn't for the air, the ice cream would be much more solid - like a solid block of frozen dairy product. With this ice cream, you add air first, then freeze. So there's no need to churn.

In the ice cream industry, the air added to the ice cream is referred to as overrun. If an ice cream had a 100 percent overrun, it would mean that whatever amount of ice cream mix you started with, you'd end up with twice as much volume of ice cream because of the added air.

Needless to say, less expensive ice creams have a higher overrun - since they're selling you less product and more air, they can charge less.

With this ice cream, you can control the amount of overrun by allowing the air from the whipped cream to deflate before you freeze it. Or leave it really fluffy. It's different from what you'd get from a churned ice cream, and sometimes a different texture is appealing just because it's different.

When I made this, I froze it right after mixing, so it was pretty fluffy. I ended up with about 2 quarts of finished ice cream. Bonus of the extra air is that you can have an extra-large scoop with the same calories as a smaller scoop.

Vanilla Malted Milk Ice Cream

2 cups heavy cream
1 14-ounce can  sweetened condensed milk
1 cup cashew milk (you can use almond milk or regular old dairy milk)
1/4 cup malted milk powder (make sure it's the kind that dissolves in cold liquids)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt

In large bowl using a hand beater, or in the bowl of your stand mixer using the whipping attachment, beat the cream until it forms soft peaks. Make sure you don't overbeat and make butter.

Since the stand mixer is a hands-off operation, you can do the other mixing while the cream whips - just keep an eye on it.

In another bowl, mix the condensed milk, cashew milk, malted milk powder, vanilla extract, and salt until it's completely mixed.

If the malted milk powder is lumpy and there are lumps in the mix that you can't break up by whisking. a stick blender will take care if it nicely.

Mix the condensed milk mixture into the whipped cream, then transfer to storage containers and freeze until firm.

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Minty Chocolate Milkshake for Chocolate Milkshake Day #ChocolateMilkShakeDay #Brancamenta

September 12 is Chocolate Milkshake Day. Are you prepared?
I got a little added incentive to whip up a milkshake this year because the nice folks at Branca made me an offer I couldn't refuse. And that included a bottle of their Brancamenta, a mint-flavored liqueur. I'm a huge fan of chocolate and mint. Of course I wanted those flavors in a shake.

But before I started, I had to try the liqueur on its own. Unlike other super-sweet or one-note mint liqueurs, this one is pretty complex, with herby-spicy notes along with the mint. It was really nice over ice after dinner, and I'm looking forward to mixing it into cocktails.

I started the shake with a home made chocolate ice cream, but your favorite store-bought brand would be just fine, too.

To add a little texture to the shake, I added some cookies, as well. I used mint-filled Oreos, but when they're in season, Girl Scout cookies would be great. Or any other mint cookie you like.

Or, if you don't happen to have mint cookies hanging around, chocolate cookies would work. The Brancamenta has enough mint flavor, so you don't really need to add more mint.

Minty Chocolate Milkshake

2 generous scoops chocolate ice cream
1/2 cup milk (or as needed)
1 1/2 ounces Brancamenta
4 chocolate mint cookies (Thin Mints, Mint Oreos, or your favorite mint or chocolate cookie)

Toss everything into your blender and blend until it reaches the consistency you like.

If it's too thick, add a little extra milk to thin it out. If it's too thin, go right ahead and add more ice cream. I won't tell.

If you like, you can garnish with a dollop of whipped cream, but I didn't think this needed any embellishment at all.

Serve immediately.Slurp, slurp. Ahhhhhh. Now make one for everyone else!

Thanks to Braca for sponsoring this post.

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