The end of summer calls for one stellar ice cream recipe and this devil's food darkest chocolate ice cream is IT.
Yield: 1 quart
Ingredients
For the base
5 large egg yolks
¼ cup sugar
¼ tsp kosher salt
1 cup whole milk
For the chocolate paste
¾ cup sugar
1 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
3 oz roughly chopped 72% dark chocolate
1½ cups heavy cream
1 tbsp vanilla
2 tbsp creme de menthe or creme de cacao
Instructions
For the ice cream base
In a 3-quart stainless steel pan, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, salt, and milk. Allow to warm over low heat for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Increase the heat to medium-low and whisk constantly for 5 minutes, or until the custard is thickened and hot. Pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl.
For the chocolate paste
In the same pot (no need to clean it), whisk together the sugar and cocoa powder. Add in the chopped chocolate and cream. Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly until the sugar and chocolate have melted and the mixture is hot and bubbling. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve over the custard. Whisk to combine and then stir in the vanilla and creme de menthe. Allow to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until cold and thickened, at least 4 hours or overnight.
For the ice cream
Churn in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions, until creamy and thick. Whisk the ice cream is churning, place a spatula and quart container in the freezer to chill.
Once the ice cream is done churning, pour it into the chilled container, scraping out as much as possible with the spatula. Serve immediately as soft serve or freeze until firm enough to scoop, about 12 hours.