Memorial Day is a quiet day for me. Too many ghosts.
So I think it's best to simply move on to things more delicious. Since I live in Fort Stinking Desert, California where it is routinely seven degrees hotter than the southern reaches of hell, homemade ice cream is not a whim or luxury. Even a ten minute drive when it's topping one hundred fifteen will destroy the best store bought ice cream. Also, made at home, it's not injected with air to make it fluffy, there's no high fructose corn syrup, or anything you don't put in there yourself.
That's more better to my thinking. Far more better.
But, I digress.
Ingredients
14 egg yolks
3 cups 1/2 & 1/2
3 cups heavy cream (I use Alta Dena Manufacturing Cream)
1/2 cup + 4 tablespoons sugar
20 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted
1 cup dutch process cocoa
1/4 cup Frangelico
1/4 cup Starbuck's Coffee Liqueur
Chop the chocolate into medium chunks. That used to be Trader Joe's Pound Plus 73% Cocoa Mass Bittersweet Chocolate. It was the remainders from my last dipping session. The swirls of lighter color are the separation of the cocoa butter from the cocoa solids. Nothing to worry about here. It just broke temper.
Put the chunked chocolate in a microwave safe bowl, nuke it on high for 30 seconds. Stir. 30 more seconds. Stir. 30 more seconds. Stir. 15 seconds. Stir.
Until it looks like this.
Scald the 1/2 & 1/2. This means to bring it right up to the edge of a boil.
Beat the yolks and sugar together until light yellow and completely smooth. Reduce mixer speed to low, and temper in the scalded 1/2 & 1/2. Tempering in this context means that the hot liquid is introduced to the egg mixture a little bit at a time while being stirred. This is ice cream, not scrambled eggs.
Add the liqueurs and return it to the stove, over a medium flame, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.
When the custard begins to coat the back of your wooden spoon, return it to the mixer bowl, set the speed at a low stir, and add in the chocolate and the dutch process cocoa.
Beat until thoroughly mixed and lounge lizard smooth.
Transfer to the freezer container of the ice cream maker and top off to the full line with more cream. Put the lid on it and refrigerate for a couple hours.
Freeze the normal way with layers of ice and rock salt. When I am freezing ice cream, I usually start it out slowly, with just plain ice. After about ten minutes I begin salting the ice down. Each time I top off the ice, I salt some more.
Transfer to a freezer safe container and set for 2 to 4 hours.
This is a silky smooth, decadently rich ice cream.
The first time I served it to the elegantly beautiful April I saw her eyes start to go glassy with rapture. I said "Tell me I'm a genius and you love me."
Without any hesitation she said "You're a genius and I love you."
At my age you take your openings where they appear.
Here's my favorite Newfie band playing "General Taylor."
Seems that whenever a General "carries the day," it's the grunt infantry that ends up carrying the bodies.
