Let's get fresh...

     Now that the weather is no longer monsooning or scorching my retinas off, all of the flora are rejoicing! Everything is comfortably settling into summer now. Except mint. Mint is assaulting everything. Oh, you want to grow there, begonia? Not in my house. For this reason, I thought it would be a good idea to start using the mint so it doesn't consume the house and the dog, a la Little Shop of Horrors. I hope you're not tired of my ice cream posts, because I will never tire of eating it. This recipe is unique, however, because I decided not to use a custard base. Here are the results.

Mint Chocolate Ice Cream

First things first, grab yo mint. Wash it to get all the lil critters off of it. You can use any mint you have or like. I think this is spearmint. There is probably 1/4 c loosely packed here.

Sift your cocoa over your table sugar, brown sugar, and salt. Mix to combine.

Blend the milk, vanilla, and mint together in the blender. After it is blended, mix the cream into the mixture separately. You don't want to incorporate too much air into the mixture. Combine the wet with the dry slowly. I would suggest adding just a bit of the liquid into the sugar mixture and mixing it until it's incorporated before adding the rest. This ensures that the cocoa fully dissolves.

Haaaii girl, you lookin fresh to death. Mmmmm. Strain the mixture and add to the machine. I 'pose you could leave it unstrained, but I think mint is a little off-putting when it's frozen.

Wazzam. Look at that brown beauty. The texture ended up being closer to traditional ice cream and was a refreshing alternative with the addition of mint. It also took far less time to prepare since eggs were not involved. Great success. 

Recipe

Adapted from the Cuisinart Ice Cream Recipe Booklet

3/4 c cocoa powder, sifted

1/2 c granulated sugar

1/3 c packed dark brown sugar

pinch of salt

1 c whole milk

2 c heavy cream

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 c loosely packed mint leaves