Friday, December 3, 2010

Aztec "Hot" Chocolate Ice Cream


A few weeks ago, I handed Joey The Perfect Scoop and told him to pick out an ice cream.  Since I had made sweet potato ice cream recently, and it wasn't his favorite, I thought I'd be a good wife and make something he would enjoy.  I was actually a little surprised when he chose this one because he usually goes for something more classic and simple.  But I was game.

I love the combination of chocolate and cinnamon, and I was intrigued by the addition of chile powder.  It seems that adding spice to chocolate is all the rage right now, so consider me on the bandwagon.  The ice cream base is a smooth, rich dark chocolate.  You then add in the cinnamon, cayenne, and chile powder.  When I first tasted the ice cream, I was surprised by how much it actually tastes like hot chocolate.  Then came the kick from the cayenne.  Its pretty subtle, and oddly addicting.  You just keep going back for more to dissect the flavors and achieve that perfect balance of sweet, smooth, and spicy. 

David Lebovitz recommends using ancho or chipotle chile powder, but I actually didn't have either one on hand.  Since they tend to be more spicy than standard chile powder, I opted to add a little cayenne in addition to it.  I think this gave the ice cream the perfect amount of heat without being overpowering. 

 This was definitely a fun and unusual ice cream, and would be a fun conversation piece if you served it at a party.  I think it would be especially fun to make hot chocolate "affogato" with it.  Just pour some hot chocolate over the ice cream, and serve. 


One Year Ago:  Company Pot Roast


Aztec "Hot" Chocolate Ice Cream
adapted from David Lebovitz, The Perfect Scoop
makes about 1 quart
  • 2 1/4 cups heavy cream
  • 6 Tbs unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 3 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
  • 1 1/4 cups whole milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 2-3 tsp chile powder
  • 1/8-1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 2 Tbs brandy
Whisk together the cream, cocoa powder, and sugar in a large saucepan.  Heat the mixture, whisking frequently, until it comes to a full, rolling boil.  Remove from heat and add the chopped chocolate, whisking constantly until it's completely melted.  Stir in the milk, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, chile powder, cayenne, and brandy.  Pour into a blender and blend for 30 seconds, until very smooth.

Chill for several hours in the refrigerator, then freeze in the ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. 


6 comments:

the blissful baker said...

oh, this sounds so interesting! i bet the cayenne pepper and chile powder really give this ice cream a nice kick. this is a perfect wintery flavor, yummm

Smitten Sugar said...

Hmm love the idea of the cayenne peper and chili powder! looks delicious

Kelsey said...

I am so making this. I love spiced Mexican-style chocolate!

Kira said...

I absolutely adore the flavors in this ice cream and would love to make it, but right now, heavy cream is scaring me away! Maybe once the holiday craziness dies down...

Stanislav said...

This ice cream is delicious. I try to make it and I was successful. Thanks for this Aztec heritage.

john said...

Thank you i like your blog
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