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Helado de chocolate
Serves 8 Desserts and puddings
Ingredients
- 600ml double cream
- 30g unsweetened cocoa powder
- 160g Mexican chocolate tablets, chopped into chunks, plus an extra ¼ tablet, chopped, to garnish
- 250ml whole milk
- 115g caster sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- pinch instant coffee granules
- 6 large egg yolks
- 1tsp vanilla bean paste
- ice bath
Method
Several hours before, heat half the cream in a small pan over a low heat. While heating, whisk in the cocoa powder and bring to a simmer. Whisk for 3-5 minutes until the cocoa is well incorporated, then remove the pan from the heat and stir in the Mexican chocolate pieces until completely melted and incorporated. Pass the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a large metal bowl. Add the remaining cream and stir to incorporate, then transfer to the fridge to chill.
Have an ice bath ready. When the chocolate mixture in the fridge is cold, place the bowl on a worktop with a fine-mesh sieve on top. Straightaway, put the milk, sugar, cinnamon, a pinch of salt and coffee granules in a pan set over a low heat and heat until steamy but not boiling, stirring to incorporate the spices and dissolve the sugar.
Put the egg yolks in a medium pan off the heat. Slowly pour the heated milk with spices into the pan with the egg yolks, whisking continuously to temper the eggs.
Once well mixed, turn the heat to medium and, using a wooden spoon, stir the milk and egg mixture constantly, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens. To test if it’s ready, stir the mixture with the wooden spoon and trace a line across the back of the spoon with your fingertip. If the line remains visible, the sauce is ready.
Remove the pan from the heat and immediately pour the mixture through the sieve into the bowl, then stir into the cream mixture.
Add the vanilla and stir it in. Let the mixture cool by transferring the bowl into the ice bath for 5 minutes, then transfer to the fridge, covered with cling film to prevent it drying out, until completely cold. This might take a couple of hours or overnight.
Churn the mixture in an ice-cream maker until creamy, transfer to a container with a lid and store in the freezer. The ice cream will keep for a couple of weeks.
Remove the ice cream from the freezer and allow to stand for 10-15 minutes before serving sprinkled with the extra chocolate.