Wednesday, August 8th, 2007...5:38 pm
Chocoholics Anonymous
Ever since I got my ice cream maker, a few chocoholic friends of mine have been endlessly bugging me to make chocolate ice cream. Originally, I’d only wanted to make a mayan chocolate flavour, since that’s my favourite type of hot chocolate. However, with my Hong Kong and Vietnam trips coming up, and one of the abovementioned chocoholics about to return to the US for school, I caved after realising that I just don’t have enough time to experiment slowly.
Two of them, G and W came over for dinner last night, and Sunday found me frantically flipping through my cookbooks for a chocolate ice cream recipe. The reason why I was so frantic was because the only flavours I’m really comfortable with are vanilla and other similarly infused-milk/infused-custard flavours. Thank goodness for that copy of Gordon Ramsay’s Just Desserts which I picked up from my neighbourhood haunt, Pantry Magic.
In Just Desserts, Ramsay writes that while he recommends most home made ice creams to be created based on a good crème anglaise (which most of us home ice cream makers know by now), he also makes some others with pâte à bombe. He also had an interesting-sounding recipe for Chocolate and Thyme Ice Cream, which is based on pâte à bombe.
That’s right – chocolate and thyme. I thought it sounded a bit strange too, but after reading through the recipe, I figured that A) it really wasn’t that much thyme, and B) he’s Gordon Ramsay. If it fails, I can always just blame him, and who can possibly blame me for trying! Thankfully, the ice cream turned out delicious – better than delicious, in fact! It was amazing. It is by far the smoothest ice cream I’ve ever eaten. The texture is amazing, and the rich chocolate flavour which is tempered by that subtle hint of thyme in the background seriously…. kicks ass. Yup – I’m out of descriptives.
Chocolate Thyme Ice Cream
(adapted from Gordon Ramsay’s Just Desserts)
1 quantity pâte à bombe (recipe follows)
250ml full fat milk
50g caster sugar
6 large fresh sprigs of thyme
220g dark chocolate (at least 60% cocoa solids)
250ml double cream (at least 40% milk fat)
Make the pâte à bombe and set aside.
Place the milk and sugar in a heavy-based saucepan over low heat and bring to the boil. Remove from heat, add the thyme sprigs and set aside to infuse for 20 minutes.
Break up the chocolate (I used chocolate buttons, so I didn’t need to bother with this step) and place in a large heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until it starts to steam, just before it comes to the boil, then pour it over the chocolate and stir with a whisk until all the chocolate is melted and the mixture is homogeneous. Strain the infused milk in slowly, whisking throughout, then set aside and allow to cool to room temperature.
Fold the pâte à bombe into the cooled chocolate mixture. Churn and freeze in an ice-cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Yield: About 1.2 litres
Pâte à bombe
(taken from Just Desserts)
100ml water
150g caster sugar
5 large free-range egg yolks
sugar thermometer
Place the water and sugar in a small heavy-based saucepan and heat slowly until dissolved and completely clear, stirring once or twice. Once the syrup is clear, increase the heat to high and place a sugar thermometer in the pan.
Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks in a heatproof bowl using a hand-held electric mixer on full speed until pale yellow, thick and creamy.
Continue to boil the syrup until it reaches a temperature of 120C, or the ‘hard ball stage’ – when a little of the hot syrup dropped into a glass of cold water forms a firm, clear ball. This should take 5-7 minutes. Another good indication is when the syrup just begins to turn light caramel at the edges. As soon as the syrup reaches this stage, remove from the heat.
With the electric beaters still whirring, trickle the just-boiled syrup onto the whisked egg yolks slowly.
Carry on whisking with the mixer on full speed so the pâte à bombe increases in volume and becomes creamy.
Once the mixture is a thick foam (it should look like whipping cream that’s been whipped to soft peaks), it may be used for ice creams and parfaits.
(For mousses, you will need it to be slightly thicker, so you’ll have to place the mixture over a bain marie and heat for another 5 minutes, whisking throughout, then remove from heat and whisk until it has cooled to room temperature.)
Pâte à bombe should be used at room temperature, or stored, chilled, for up to 2 days. If making in advance, whisk it well again before using.
Yield: About 350ml
11 Comments
August 8th, 2007 at 5:44 pm
AHM AHM AHM
August 8th, 2007 at 8:12 pm
whimper
August 9th, 2007 at 1:01 pm
oh oh when in Hanoi go get some coffee beans and try incorporating them into ice cream, try the “caphe cut chon” the fox dung bean for kicks. I regret not buying it now with the ice cream maker at home.
oh btw i never tried making ice cream with a pâte à bombe base, it looks like it gives the ice cream a different texture.
August 9th, 2007 at 9:13 pm
vick: AHM AHM AHM AHM.
su: *patpat!
jon: hmm that sounds like a good idea. so what – add the whole coffee beans in? OOH. add in CHOCOLATE COATED COFFEE BEANS. where to find the dung-beans though?
pâte à bombe gives the ice cream a really light texture, very smooth and silky. not as “chewy” as the custard ones can get. SO GOOD. i thought it went especially well with the chocolate, seeing as how rich chocolate is anyway.
August 9th, 2007 at 11:05 pm
there’s a street in hanoi with a row of stores that sell coffee beans, chon is the most ex one. and very noticeable with its civet logo. I think they have some choc ones too.
wah i need to go try pâte à bombe
August 10th, 2007 at 1:14 pm
Hmmm so now it looks like I need to go add a sugar thermometer to my baking arsenal as well…
Weird.I can never leave you any comments from my home computer…only the work ones.
August 10th, 2007 at 5:38 pm
any instant read thermometer will do – just check the minimum and maximum temperatures it will show. digital is better. :) get the kind that will sound an alarm when you hit the temp you want.
August 11th, 2007 at 1:57 am
Wow. That’s beautiful in a really masculine, yet evocatively nostalgic way.
August 11th, 2007 at 2:25 pm
been meaning to make a chocolate ice cream for a long time. Think I’ll try this one. Chocolate and tyme always go well together =o)
Also, Christina (it’s Christina, right?) did you say you have some dried lavender flower? w is looking for some. Did you get it in Singapore?
August 11th, 2007 at 11:35 pm
Weylin: Thanks!
Lynn: Mmm yes you should. I’m gonna post a variation on this that I whipped up today maybe tmr or monday – mayan chocolate ice cream, so if you like this maybe you can give that a shot too! I never knew chocolate and thyme went so well together (till now, anyway).. but you learn new things everyday. :)
eyes: You have dried lavender flowers??? Where from!! :D
August 13th, 2007 at 11:51 am
first time reader of your site, really glad to see an ice cream post, as i just mixed the ice cream base yesterday night and am going to churn it in the ice cream maker soon.
will definitely try the posted recipe when i lay my hands on some fresh thyme :)
off i go for some waffle cones… vvrrrooommmmmm….
best regards