Fudge Ripple Ice Cream

I love the whole process of making ice cream.  From making the custard base to churning it, I find the whole process soothing and enjoyable. It hasn't been the best weather here this week, making me miss the amazing weather we had last week.  But I had egg yolks sitting in my fridge asking to be used and  ice cream was the only thing that would use them all.  I'm still on the search for a good cake batter recipe, so I settled for this.  Fudge ripple is a favorite of mine.  And it's extremely easy.  David Lebovitz is a genius - if you love to make your own ice cream you should really get his book.  I know I say this every time I post about ice cream, but you really don't know what you're missing. 

I have now gotten the hang of making the custards just right and don't have to question myself anymore or keep referring to the book for his tips.  Once the base is in the fridge, make the fudge sauce, it needs to be chilled as well.  It's easier to have them both waiting for you, ready to use, instead of waiting for the fudge sauce (which needs to be chilled so you can use it).  Once I was ready to go, I churned my ice cream base.  Listening to Izzy is always something I love to hear - even if he is loud, he's making something delicious.  Once the ice cream is ready, time to use the fudge sauce.  Now I wasn't quite sure how this would look, but it's not about looks with this - and you don't want to mix as you do this.  Globs of fudge here and globs of ice cream there.  The messier the better.  When you go to scoop it, it looks amazing.

heaven

I couldn't wait to taste this! I had a bite after it was in the freezer for a couple hours and it wasn't fully set yet, but let me tell you - amazing.  This I am keeping for myself, not sharing with any taste testers - its that good. 

Fudge Ripple Ice Cream

makes about 1 quart

For the vanilla ice cream

1 cup whole milk

3/4 cup sugar

2 cups heavy cream

pinch of salt

1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise

6 large egg yolks

3/4 tsp vanilla extract

Warm the milk, sugar, 1 cup of the cream and salt in a medium saucepan.  Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the warm milk and add the bean as well.  Cover, remove from the heat, and let steep at room temperature for 30 minutes. 

Pour the remaining 1 cup cream into a large bowl and set a mesh strainer on top.  In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks.  Slowly pour the warm mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.

Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula.  Pour the custard through the strainer and stir it into the cream.  Put the vanilla bean into the custard, add the vanilla extract and stir until cool over an ice bath. 

Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator.  When ready to churn, remove the vanilla bean, and then freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions.

For the Fudge Ripple:

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup light corn syrup

1/2 cup water

6 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Whisk together the sugar, corn syrup, water and cocoa powder in a medium saucepan.  Heat over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture begins to bubble at the edges.

Continue to whisk until it just comes to a low boil.  Cook for 1 minute, whisking frequently.  Remove from the heat, stir in the vanilla, and let cool.  Chill in the refrigerator before using. 

Mixing it in once ice cream is ready:

The fudge ripple should be thoroughly chilled, as it's easiest to use when very cold.  Just before you remove the ice cream from the machine, spoon some of the fudge ripple onto the bottom of the storage container.  As you remove the ice cream from the machine, layer generous spoonfuls of the sauce between layers of the ice cream.  Avoid stirring the Fudge Ripple, as it will make the ice cream muddy looking.