sweet & salty treats

Chocolate Ice Cream
with Spanish Sea Salt & Olive Oil

In this recipe, extra virgin olive oil gives chocolate ice cream a rich flavor and satiny sheen. Coarse sea salt adds texture and unexpected flavor.

You will need an ice cream machine for this recipe.

Makes about 1 quart

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 ½ cups whole milk
• 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, shaved
• 9 large egg yolks
• ¾ cup sugar
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Coarse Spanish sea salt

1. Prepare the inserts of your ice cream machine as per the manufacturer's instructions.
2. Place the cream and milk in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, and then remove from heat. Add the chocolate, stirring until melted and well combined.
3. Meanwhile, place the yolks and sugar in a medium bowl, and whisk until the mixture is thickened, fluffy, and pale yellow. You should be able to cover your spoon's back with the mixture and form a rose shape if you blow into the mixture. You also may use a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment for this step; it would take about 2 minutes on medium speed.
4. Bring the cream-milk mixture back to a boil over high heat, whisking constantly. Slowly add about ½ cup of the hot cream-milk mixture to the egg-sugar mixture, and whisk to temper the yolks. Whisking constantly, add the egg-sugar mixture to the cream-milk mixture, and whisk until evenly blended.
5. Reduce heat to medium-low. Using a wooden spoon, continually stir the mixture in figure 8 patterns, making certain that you are involving all the mixture on the bottom and in the corners of the pan. Cook until the mixture has thickened to a coating consistency, 8 to 10 minutes.
6. Fill a large bowl halfway with ice water. Place a medium stainless steel bowl in the ice water, and carefully pass the cream through a fine-mesh sieve into the bowl. Stir the cream occasionally to cool.
7. Pour the cooled cream into the bowls of your ice cream machine, and process according to your machine's specifications, usually 30 to 40 minutes. Halfway through the process, pour in the oil in a slow, steady stream. Freeze until ready to serve, for up to 48 hours.

Presentation

Scoop into serving dishes, and sprinkle with the salt. Serve immediately.

Beverage Pairings 

Mont Marçal Cava Brut Reserva
Penedès , Spain

Castellblanch
Rosado
Penedès, Spain

Excerpted with permission from the forthcoming The Kitchens of Biró: Simple SpanAsian Cuisine (Gibbs Smith, Publisher), by Marcel Biró and Shannon Kring Biró. © 2007 Marcel Biró and Shannon Kring Biró. All rights reserved.