I�ve finally figured how to work my 220v machine so I don�t blow a fuse. That way I can fulfill my marriage vows of making homemade ice cream for my husband at least once a year. He�s one lucky guy, let me tell you!
From one of my favorite foodie blogs, October Farm, I stumbled upon this recipe for blackberry & chocolate chip ice cream on another blog called Gourmandistan, written by a food-loving couple in Kentucky. This recipe caught my eye because the market stalls at Hala Mirowska have been flooded with berries.
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| This is how I buy my berries and eggs at Hala Mirowska in Warsaw. |
I can make only so many berry-flavored vodkas as well as freeze and eat so many berries for breakfast, so of course they must be used in desserts.
I actually love making ice cream and probably could make it in my sleep. I used to make several ice cream batches a day when I worked in restaurants full-time. Now, I only make ice cream as an occasional treat at home.
Homemade ice cream is really worth the effort, especially when there's chocolate involved! I promise!
Smacznego!
Yields: about 1 quart
425 g. (3 cups) fresh blackberries, rinsed
425 g. (3 cups) fresh blackberries, rinsed
Juice from � a lemon
55 g. (1/4 c.) granulated sugar
180 ml. (6 oz.) milk
110 g. (1/2 c.) granulated sugar
Pinch salt
3 ea. egg yolks from large eggs
180 ml. (6 oz.) heavy cream (I used 36% Polish cream.)
� tsp. vanilla extract
100 g. (3.5 oz.) dark chocolate, chopped small
1. In a small pot, combine the blackberries with the lemon juice and first amount of sugar. Cook over low heat for about 10 minutes until the berries are softened. Then, pur�e this mixture with a hand stick blender or in a food processor. Strain through a fine-meshed strainer to remove the seeds. Set aside to cool.
2. In a medium-sized pot, heat the milk, sugar and salt together until the sugar is dissolved.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Then slowly pour some of the warm milk mixture into the yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed yolks back into the pot. This is the tempering stage of making a custard...i.e. ice cream in this case.
4. Cook the custard, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula, which takes just a few minutes. This stage is known as nappe in French cooking. If using an instant read thermometer, it should read around 170�F (77�C). I always do this stage by eyeballing it. If I can run my finger through the custard on the back of the spoon and the lines don�t run together, then the custard is done. Strain.
5. Let the mixture cool slightly over an ice bath. When cool, add the blackberry puree, heavy cream and vanilla extract. I used my hand stick blender again.
6. Refrigerate the mixture thoroughly, preferably overnight, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer�s instructions.
7. When your ice cream base is almost done spinning (about 20 minutes later), add the chopped chocolate.
8. Transfer your homemade ice cream to a plastic container and allow to harden for several hours or overnight in the freezer. (I always sample a spoonful or two before I freeze it!)
Note: We like dark chocolate, but we found the 90% chocolate bar to be too bitter. Next time, I�d stick with using 60 or 70% dark chocolate.
