Fresh Mint Chip Ice Cream

I’m not actually as mad all all those exclamations up there imply…I love Autumn.

LOVE IT.

Fall time layers are my fave and any excuse to wear a cardigan is good by me. There are walks to be had in the crisp air and bike rides through piles of vibrant leaves. Warm spices and hot drinks, braised stuffs and heating up the house with baking, are my jam…but, I’m not giving up ice cream, I’ll just enjoy it with a hot beverage on the side.

This ice cream is an old fave, freshened up with…well, fresh herbs. The natural color from the mint just hints at green, but really, it’s more buttery looking than that. The mint is totally there, from a good long steep in the cream mixture, but not astringent the way that extracts used with a heavy hand can sometimes be. Instead the minty flavor is smooth, lush, and almost buttery. Yeah, I mentioned “buttery” twice (now thrice), and it really is kind of like those little butter-mint-pillow-dudes that seem to grace the candy bowls of certain elder family members. The crisp shards of bittersweet chocolate throughout just compliment the smooth mint flavor, instead of stealing the show. Maybe you have some mint taking over your garden–mint is just that way, it likes to sprawl–or maybe you can just get it at the store. Either way, this ice cream utilizes it in a classic scoop-shop incarnation, all freshened up.

Fresh Mint Chip Ice Cream

adapted from Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home

I steeped the mint in the cream mixture overnight to really infuse the ice cream with mint flavor. 

2 cups milk

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup loosely packed mint leaves, torn roughly

4 teaspoons cornstarch

2/3 cup sugar

2 Tablespoons corn syrup

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted

In a medium saucepan heat milk with the cream and mint leaves. Heat to a simmer, cover, and remove from heat. Allow to cool and steep in the refrigerator overnight (12 hours is best).

In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup of milk mixture with the cornstarch, set slurry aside.

Strain the mint leaves from the milk mixture and add sugar, corn syrup, and salt,  reheat in a medium saucepan to a low boil. Quickly whisk in the cornstarch slurry and continue to boil, whisking, until thickened. Prepare an ice bath and pour the hot ice cream base into a large plastic bag. Chill bag in ice bath until cooled and process the mixture in an ice cream maker according to manufacturers instructions. At the end of processing, with the machine still churning, drizzle the chocolate into the ice cream to create chips. Scrape the ice cream into a container and freeze until firm.