Happy National Chocolate Ice Cream Day!

Wow...its been a long time since we last posted especially as we head into the most important season for ice cream :). We've been finding quick info on Facebook has been a fun (and manageable honestly) way to share what's going on in the ice cream world and have been pinning like crazy to our Pinterest page. Check us out there and you'll find some great recipes to use for your next summer party.

So today is National Ice Cream Day and after still having an ice cream coma from Boston's Jimmy Fund Scooper Bowl, the all-you-can-eat ice cream festival for an awesome cause, it's hard to even think about ice cream (8 brands @ 2 flavors each=32 cups....hard to even admit!) but there is some great chocolate ice cream out there that we'd be remiss not to talk about on National Chocolate Ice Cream Day. One flavor that caught me by surprise because it was frozen yogurt was Hood's Double Chocolate Chip Frozen Yogurt. So creamy and the chocolate was super smooth. I myself loved it. And then there was Friendly's Forbidden Fudge which was rich and creamy. Loved that one too.

I don't have my own recipe to share but I do love this one from Food Network's Alton Brown, and so does everyone else as you can see by the 5 star rating. Enjoy and Happy National Chocolate Ice Cream Day!



Chocolate Ice Cream
Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2005

Serves: 1 1/2 quarts

Ingredients
1 1/2 ounces unsweetened cocoa powder, approximately 1/2 cup
3 cups half-and-half
1 cup heavy cream
8 large egg yolks
9 ounces sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Directions
Place the cocoa powder along with 1 cup of the half-and-half into a medium saucepan over medium heat and whisk to combine. Add the remaining half-and-half and the heavy cream. Bring the mixture just to a simmer, stirring occasionally, and remove from the heat.

In a medium mixing bowl whisk the egg yolks until they lighten in color. Gradually add the sugar and whisk to combine. Temper the cream mixture into the eggs and sugar by gradually adding small amounts, until about 1/3 of the cream mixture has been added. Pour in the remainder and return the entire mixture to the saucepan and place over low heat. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon and reaches 170 to 175 degrees F. Pour the mixture into a container and allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Stir in the vanilla extract. Place the mixture into the refrigerator and once it is cool enough not to form condensation on the lid, cover and store for 4 to 8 hours or until the temperature reaches 40 degrees F or below.

Pour into an ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer's directions. This should take approximately 25 to 35 minutes. Serve as is for soft serve or freeze for another 3 to 4 hours to allow the ice cream to harden.