Aztec 'Hot' Chocolate Ice Cream

I know that there are many folks who are just discovering the interesting jolt one gets when chocolate is mixed with chile pepper, however the reality is that it has been around for thousands of years. Earlier this year, the the depths of winter, we went to our favourite chocolate shop in the Distillery District and enjoyed a hot chocolate made with their single origin chocolate, chile, and cinnamon - it was thick and packed an incredible jolt. Now the ice cream weather is here in full force I decided that this would be my first ice cream of 2008.

The recipe is from The Perfect Scoop byDavid Lebovitz. If you do not know David you should visit his blog - he is an American chef living in Paris. His specialty is chocolate and all things dessert. I have been following his blog ever since the amazing Judy AKA Diva told me about it while we were learning from her in our cooking class in Florence. If you don't have this book - pop on over to amazon.com right now and order it.

We quite enjoyed this ice cream - it was a wonderful combination of chocolate and gentle spice - perfect for the end of a hot summer's day. I used ancho chile powder which gave the ice cream a gentle heat. I discovered last night that the heat increases as the ice cream sits - YUM

 

Aztec 'Hot' Chocolate Ice Cream

2 1/4 cups heavy cream
6 tbsp unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/4 cup sugar
3 oz semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 1/4 cups whole mil
k 1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt
1 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
2 to 3 tsp chile powder
2 tbsp brandy

Whisk together the cream, cocoa powder, and sugar in a large sauce pan. Heat the mixture, whisking frequently, until it comes to a full, rolling boil (it will start to foam up). Remove from heat and add the shopped chocolate, whisk until the chocolate has melted. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Pour the mixture into a blender and blend until very smooth.

Chill the mixture completely in the refrigerator, the freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Comments

[Cindy Ruth]

Jerry-Thanks for posting the recipe. It looks wonderful. I like the combination of chocolate and spice and one of the best gelatos I had in Italy last year was that flavor. Now if I could just figure out how to eat all of that cream without gaining weight...

[Jerry]

Cindy Ruth - that, of course, is the challenge. I give it away or force it on Paul (who is happy to oblige). I've tried making it with lower fat cream - YUCK