bittersweet chocolate-orange ice cream

there is a gelato shop

in my town

that makes the most

insanely delicious frozen treats

however

it is also in a dark dingy corner

of a half vacant shopping mall

in a not so great neighborhood

and

it is pricey

one of the flavors they make 

that is just

to die for 

(literally judging by its location)

is  bittersweet chocolate-orange

i quite like playing in the kitchen

so i took to the stove

and came up with 

something 

creamy and chocolatey 

with just a slight

kiss of orange

and 

as a bonus

my kitchen is well lit

and in a safe neighborhood

i do hope you try this

if you start with good quality chocolate

this will be hard to muck up

Bittersweet Chocolate Orange Ice Cream
(printable recipe)

1 1/2  cups whole milk

1/2 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 cup light brown sugar--firmly packed

finely grated zest of 1 orange

1/2 tsp kosher salt

3 large egg yolks

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

6 oz bittersweet chocolate--chopped

1/2 tsp orange extract

melted bittersweet chocolate (optional if you want to have shards of chocolate in your ice cream)

whisk together the granulated sugar and the egg yolks in a bowl. set aside.  place the the milk, cocoa powder, brown sugar, orange zest and salt in a saucepan and bring to a simmer.  temper the eggs with the warm chocolate mixture and pour it all back in the saucepan and place over a low heat.  continually stir until the custard begins to thicken to a consistency of heavy cream.  be careful not to let it come to a boil or simmer, as the eggs will curdle.  if you are unsure, once it has reached the desired consistency, pour through a sieve into a clean bowl.  in another bowl, heat the heavy cream in the microwave until it is quite hot.  add in the chocolate bits and whisk until the chocolate and cream are completely emulsified. stir in the orange extract.  let both chocolate mixtures cool down a bit, and then mix together.  place in the refrigerator to cool completely. if you are in a rush, place the bowl of chocolate custard in a larger bowl of heavily iced water.  stir until the custard is nice a cool.  freeze according to your ice cream maker instructions.

if you choose to add the chocolate shards, it is very simple.  melt the bittersweet chocolate and at the last stages of freezing, drizzle the melted chocolate in stages, as the machine is churning.  don't be too heavy handed.

i am participating in colors of the rainbow

for alphabe-thursday 

summer school

over at jenny matlock

this week

we honor the color ORANGE