Chocolate ice cream

Ingredients

600ml pure cream

200ml full cream milk

3 eggs

2-3 tbsp honey

100g dark chocolate, chopped

¼ cup cacao

2-3 tsp vanilla extract- or 1 vanilla bean scraped.

3 tbsp vodka (this is used to keep the ice cream softer to make it easier to scoop- you can leave out but your ice cream will set firmer, you could use vanilla vodka and leave the vanilla extract out.)

Method

Take out some of the cream/milk mix and add to your cacao to form a thin paste, about 100ml or so. Put the rest in a medium pot put your milk, cream and vanilla bean (put the seeds and the pod in-if using)

Heat until bubbles form around the outside of the cream/milk, don’t let it boil.

Meanwhile whisk your eggs. Add a ladle full of the hot cream mix to the egg mix, whisk then add another. Then add your egg mix back to the pot with your cream mix. 

Keep on a low heat stirring with a wooden spoon continuously, do not leave it. DO NOT BOIL!!! When it thickens and can coat the back of the spoon- you should be able to run your finger through it on the spoon and it will leave a definite line. This will only take 1-2 minutes. 

Take off the heat and put in your chopped chocolate, vanilla extract, cacao paste mix, vodka (if using) and honey; whisk until all the chocolate is melted and strain it into a bowl. Cool quickly over an icebath or I just chuck it in the freezer for 2-3 hours, alternatively leave in the fridge overnight.

When the mix is completely cool put in your ice cream maker. If you do not have one just put in the freezer and then chop the ice cream up the next day and put in a food processor and blitz for a minute or so, this will put more air in your ice cream and break up ice crystals resulting in a creamier ice cream. I like to line container with cling film with the edges over hanging then you can cover the top with it, this is to keep the air from the ice cream.