Sorrel Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
This was inspired by a friend's Facebook post. Said friend was reveling in a Chocolate Sorrel Ice Cream concoction at Manresa and naturally, I was intrigued. Not just because I love weirdo ice cream flavors, but also because I just happened to have a bunch of sorrel on hand courtesy of our CSA!
I don't know about you, but it's not every day I get sorrel. I'm not even sure if I've ever seen sorrel at the supermarket. So this was a rare opportunity I had to jump on.
First, you might ask, what the hell is sorrel? Well, it's an herb-vegetable that looks like small, pointy, elongated spinach leaves. Because of its tangy, lemony flavor, it's sometimes called the lemon of vegetables. It's most often used raw in salads and cooked in sauces and soups, but obviously it has many more creative possibilities.
I actually first became acquainted with sorrel as a gardener. I had a beautiful patch of carefree, red-veined sorrel that obligingly grew wherever I moved it - sun, shade, part-shade - it didn't matter. It was pest-free, well-behaved, and required very little water, a plus in our California semi-arid climate. Unfortunately, it fell victim to the boots of construction workers during our house remodel, something I still look back on forlornly.
But back to the ice cream! My first thought was to stir sorrel leaves into a chocolate base to infuse the flavor. However, after doing some research I realized one of the most alluring things about sorrel ice cream is its green color which can vary, depending on how much you use, from pale pistachio to dayglo avocado. Using a chocolate base would completely negate that appeal.
Instead, I decided to get chocolate into my ice cream in the form of a mix-in, but not with chocolate chips or even chopped chocolate. Rather, I looked to the Italians, who drizzle melted chocolate onto ice cream at the end of the churning process, resulting in evenly distributed, thin chips of chocolate for a more delicate, teeth-friendly, crunch.
I also tried two methods of incorporating the sorrel into the ice cream. One, was heating the sorrel leaves with the cream which resulted in the leaves and the mixture turning gray-green. Not so pretty. The second favored method was to finish the ice cream base, take it off the stove and then add the leaves. The base was still warm enough to assist the infusion process, but not to cook and discolor the leaves.
There you go! The perfect sorrel and chocolate ice cream, one that the kids liked as much as I did. Looks like it might be time to invite a dear old friend back into the garden.
Sorrel Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
Inspired by Yotam Ottolenghi and Ger-Nis
Makes about 1 quart
In a small bowl, whisk lightly:
4 egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar (25g)
pinch of salt
Set aside.
In a medium-sized heavy, non-reactive saucepan, warm together until sugar dissolves:
1 cup whipping cream
1 cup whole milk
1/4 cup sugar (25g)
Ladle a little of the warm mixture into the whisked egg yolks, stirring constantly. Return the egg yolk mixture to the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture coats the spoon.
Strain through a medium-fine strainer into a clean container.
While mixture is warm, add:
3 tablespoons honey
finely grated zest from 1 lemon
Whisk or stir to make sure honey melts and everything is well incorporated. Now, add:
2-3 cups fresh sorrel leaves, chopped (no stems) (80 - 120g)
(Add the larger amount for a stronger sorrel flavor.)
Set aside for 20 minutes to allow the sorrel to infuse its flavor into the ice cream base. Then, in batches if necessary, blend everything (including the sorrel) in a blender until completely smooth. Pour into a medium-size bowl and whisk in to combine well:
1 cup whipping cream
a few drops of vanilla extract
Chill thoroughly, preferably overnight.
Just before churning the ice cream, prepare the stracciatella. Place in a Pyrex glass measuring cup (with pouring spout) and use a microwave to melt:
5oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
Freeze custard according to manufacturer's instructions for your ice cream maker. Right at the end of churning, pour a thin stream of the melted chocolate into the ice cream machine while it is running. If your machine does not have an opening on the top or you find it hard to drizzle the chocolate into the machine, you can also pour it onto the ice cream while packing it into a container. Pack a layer of ice cream, then drizzle melted chocolate on top. Stir it in, then repeat until you have transferred all of the ice cream into the container and used all of the stracciatella. Freeze until firm.
Comments