Got milk? Make ice cream!

This will have to be a pretty short post, since I really need to get to bed so I can get up way too early for work in the morning.  As is typical of my hectic life lately, I'm leaving this until the last possible minute...  

A couple weeks ago, I ran across a reference to a blog event called Got Milk?  Once I read about it, I knew that I wanted to participate.  Linda of Make Like Sweeter created the event to celebrate World Breastfeeding Week.  I am definitely an advocate of breastfeeding.  I breastfed Brianna until she weaned herself at almost two.  Gillian still asks for "Milk?" (word and sign) every couple of days, but it won't be much longer before she's done.  It can be a challenging thing to do, especially working full-time outside the home, but it is incredibly rewarding.  I can't say that I miss lugging my breast-pump to work with me (the better part of two years of my life doing that, between my two children), but I'm glad I did it.  

For the event, Linda asked only that we blog about a recipe made with milk.  Well, why not combine milk with my favorite chocolate and make ice cream?  I started with a recipe from Dorie Greenspan's wonderful book Baking From My Home to Yours, but tweaked it a bit.  I added a bit of salt and a little rum to bring out the chocolate flavor more.  And I'm paranoid when making custards, so I used a double-boiler even though the original recipe doesn't call for it.  

The verdict?  This recipe makes for a very smooth, delicious chocolate ice cream.  I like the technique of making ganache to combine with the custard.  Definitely one to make again.

Chocolate Ganache Ice Cream

(adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Baking From My Home to Yours)

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped (I used El Rey, mostly 58.5% with a little 61%)

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1 cup whole milk

4 large egg yolks

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/8 teaspoon table salt

1 tablespoon dark rum

Put the chocolate in a large heatproof bowl.  Bring 3/4 cup of the cream to a boil (I use the microwave).  Pour the cream over the chocolate and let it sit a minute.  Using a rubber spatula, slowly stir the cream into the chocolate.  When the ganache is smooth, stir in the rum and salt and set aside.

Heat the milk and the remaining cream until hot in a double boiler (I use a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water).  Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk the yolks and sugar together until well blended and slightly thickened.  Still whisking, drizzle in about a third of the hot liquid to temper the yolks.  While continuing to whisk, slowly pour in the remaining liquid.  Pour the custard back into the double boiler and heat, stirring frequently, until the custard thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon.  The temperature should be between 170 and 180 degrees F.  Remove the pan from the heat and stir the custard into the ganache (I pour the custard through a strainer first just to make sure there aren't any eggy bits).

Refrigerate the custard until well chilled.  Churn the mixture into ice cream following the instructions for your ice cream maker.