so much mint

it’s hot and humid outside, and to be honest, i want to skip lunch and dinner altogether and just eat ice cream all day. my friend aruna made the most delicious mint chocolate chip (aka, peppermint bon bon) for a sunday barbeque she had last weekend. lucky for me, she left me her cuisinart ice cream maker for 10 days while she is on vacation. it’s been getting a lot of use. on wednesday, i made key lime pie, last night tried a mint chocolate chip similar to aruna’s, and i’m currently looking for a mango coconut recipe to make tonight. i'm starting to realize that having a freezer full of homemade ice cream is dangerous.

mint chocolate chip (adapted from cooking light and andrea’s recipes)

2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk

1 cup half-and-half

2/3 cup fresh mint sprigs

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

3/4 cup chopped dark chocolate

dash of salt

2 large egg yolks

combine mint leaves and sugar into a food processor. process until the mint is finely ground. in a medium bowl, whisk egg yolks until smooth, then add the sugar and mint mixture and whisk until combined.

heat milk and half-and-half over medium-high heat in a saucepan. heat milk mixture until tiny bubbles form around the edge of the suacepan (do not boil).

gradually add hot milk mixture to egg mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk. pour egg yolk mixture back into the saucepan. cook over medium-low heat until a thermometer registers 160° (about 2 minutes), stirring constantly.

pour milk mixture through a fine sieve over a bowl, pressing slightly with a wooden spoon. discard solids.

chill in refrigerator. once cool, place in ice cream maker for 20-30 minutes, gradually adding the chocolate. return mixture to freezer for 1-2 hours or until firm.