Chocolate Mandarin Ice Cream

For all of you out there with ice cream makers, have a seat in the front row and prepare to take notes. For those of you we have yet to convince that owning your own ice cream maker is one of the most important things you will ever do for you and your family, this is the time to axe the cable for a month and use the money saved to buy yourself an ice cream maker.

Of course there are other options, such as borrowing your neighbors', presenting this recipe to a good friend who does own a maker and begging them to make it for you, or just sitting there, reading this, and crying because this flavor cannot be found in the store, which means you're going to miss out on something fabulous! I know that would certainly make us cry!

My wonderful friend from Vermont, (who owns an ice cream maker), who can visit the Ben and Jerry plant anytime she wishes, passed along this little gem to me. Turns out, it was on page 46 in my Ben and Jerry Ice Cream Recipe Book that I got from my godson, Austin for my birthday last year. How did I miss that one?

This ice cream is not rich, not terribly sweet, but it is the perfect balance of chocolate and orange. I would dare say, "It's refreshing!" I could eat it every single day if I lived in a world where ice cream and broccoli were equally healthy and nutritous. But I do not, so I eat it as a dessert on special occasions. Do what you want depending on the type of world you live in.


Chocolate Mandarin Ice Cream

One Ounce Semi or Bittersweet Chocolate
One Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
1-1/2 Cups Whole Milk
1/4 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
3/4 Cup Sugar
2 Large Eggs
One Teaspoon Vanilla
1/2 Cup Orange Juice Concentrate

Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler over hot - not boiling - water. Gradually whisk in cocoa, stirring constantly, until smooth. (The chocolate may "seize" or clump together. Don't worry, the milk will dissolve it.) Whisk in the milk a little at a time, and heat until completely blended. Remove from heat and let cool.

Whisk eggs in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy - 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in the sugar a little at a time, then continue whisking until completely blended, about one minute more. Pour in the cream, orange juice concentrate, and vanilla and whisk to blend.

Pour the chocolate mixture into cream mixture and blend. Cover and refrigerate until cold - 1 to 3 hours.

Transfer to ice cream maker and follow manufacturer's instructions. When the ice cream is done "mixing" I like to give it a couple hours in the freezer to really let it set and firm up.

Special Note: If you want your ice cream NOW and you must have it NOW, you could skip the whole melting the one ounce of chocolate over the double boiler drama and skip to step number two - whisking the eggs......Just add the cocoa to those eggs along with everything else and the mixture can go right in the maker. You could have ice cream in less than 45 minutes if you really needed a quick fix. The one ounce of chocolate does add a speckled effect in the finished product that could probably be achieved by pulverizing the chocolate and throwing it in the mixture.

In short.....the one little ounce of chocolate does play a pertinent role here, but it could be left out and you would still have fantabulous ice cream. I know. I've done it!

Enjoy!


(Go get yourself an ice cream maker!)