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
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
