Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

This recipe was inspired by my blog reader Lisa. She was talking about how her chocolate mint is choking her garden, and it got me thinking about what was going on in my own horribly overgrown herb garden with the 10 varieties of mint that are growing there! Anyone who has ever planted mint knows that it will grow like a weed. It is best kept in containers. I am not sure why I went ahead and pretended that I knew better! Because now every other herb, and every living thing for that matter, is totally being overwhelmed by the rampant mint growth.

But I can’t bare to rip it out- I feel compelled to use it all! So I have been busy thinking up recipes featuring, or at least including fresh mint. What better way to start out the mint recipe’s than with an old favorite? Mint chocolate chip ice cream made with fresh mint and dark chocolate chunks. It is creamy and refreshing at the same time, and the chocolate makes it that much more indulgent!

(Lisa- fresh chocolate mint would apply nicely in this recipe!)

2 cups fresh picked mint leaves
2 cups cream
1 cup milk
1 cup sugar
1 whole large egg
4 large egg yolks
2/3 cup chocolate chunks

Place the mint leaves in the bowl of a food processor (or mini prep) and pulse until finely chopped. (You could also do this by hand).

In a saucepan, combine the milk, cream and mint. Bring to a boil and then remove from the heat.

While the saucepan is cooling, combine the sugar and eggs in the bowl of a standing mixer and beat until pale and fluffy- about 2 minutes.

Strain the cream, milk and mint mixture through a very fine strainer, and reserve the still hot custard. Discard the mint.

Temper the eggs and sugar with the hot cream by adding a few tablespoons at a time. When you have added the first half of the cream little by little, you can go ahead and add the second half all at once.

Transfer the contents to a saucepan and gently cook until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Transfer the custard to a bowl and chill until completely cold.

Freeze the ice cream according to your ice cream makers directions. About 5 minutes into the process, add the chocolate chunks which will naturally be spun into the mint ice cream.