Chocolate Ice Cream Rules (Especially if it's Low-fat)

I love trying all of the new ice cream and sorbet recipes with my new ice cream maker — his name is Pierre, by the way. Pierre makes very tasty ice cream. This recipe is from my one ice cream book, “The Ultimate Ice Cream Book.” See, it’s ultimate — that’s really all I need.

This recipe relies on sweetened, condensed milk, much like the low-fat vanilla ice cream recipe I posted about earlier. The fun part with this one, though, is that you can play around with it quite a bit. Want Mexican Chocolate? Add some cinnamon and almond extract. Or, how about some espresso powder? Oh, or toasted walnuts during the final few turns in the machine. The possibilities are endless, I tell you!

Low-fat Chocolate Ice Cream
2 cups milk (2% or fat-free)
1/4 cup cocoa powder (unsweetened)
2 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 large eggs
1 can sweetened, condensed milk (low-fat or fat-free)
1 tsp vanilla extract

To start, bring the milk to a simmer in a heavy pot. Whisk in the cocoa (I like Droste) and return to a gently simmer. Let it heat for about 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and add the chopped chocolate. Stir until it’s all melted. Slowly pour the hot, chocolatey milk into the beaten eggs, whisking constantly, so as not to curdle the eggs.

Return the whole mixture to the pan and put over low heat. Stir until it thickens slightly. Don’t let it boil or you will scramble the eggs. And no one likes chocolatey scrambled eggs…

Remove from the heat and pour through a strainer.

Stir in the vanilla extract and sweetened, condensed milk. Chill overnight.

Freeze in your Pierre, er, ice cream maker according to the instructions. When done, the ice cream will be soft serve consistency.

Place in a container and freeze a bit longer. Put some plastic wrap right down on the surface of the ice cream, right under the lid, to protect it from whatever else you might have going on in your freezer.

Then — get a spoon.