Gettin' Phily With It...

Sometimes, I really want to whip up a batch of ice cream and really cannot face the idea of standing over a pot mixing the custard. Watching and waiting for just the right moment to pull it off the heat.  Then, I discovered Philadelphia or American Style ice cream.  Philadelphia style ice cream doesn't use any eggs, therefore no need to go through the custard process. Good for egg allergies and the flavour is awesome.

I reworked a recipe I found on this gorgeous blog http://dinneranddessert.wordpress.com, and her recipe was an alteration of my ice cream hero David Lebovitz recipe.

Being a little lazy in the kitchen, I used whatever ingredients I had. I didn't have the dutch-process cocoa, just some stock standard home brand stuff AND I only had dark cooking chocolate in the cupboard. However, I really like the intense, almost dry flavour I ended up with. The consistency was gorgeous and it tastes awesome with coffee & strawberries.

Dark Chocolate Ice Cream - Philadelphia Style

300ml thickened cream
3 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/2 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
1/2 block good quality dark chocolate broken up into pieces (I used 70% cocoa)
1/2 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whisk together the cream, cocoa powder, sugar and salt in a saucepan. Heat the mixture, whisking frequently, until it comes to a full, rolling boil (it will start to foam up). Remove from the heat and whisk in the chocolate until it's melted, then whisk in the milk and vanilla. Pour mixture into a blender and blend for 30 seconds, until very smooth. (I poured into a bowl & stick mixed it for 30 secs)

Chill the mixture thoroughly in the fridge for a few hours (or overnight if you have time) then sling it into your ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer's instructions.