Best Fresh Mint Ice Cream Recipes

FRESH MINT & CHOC CHIP ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Put the chocolate in a plastic bag, seal and freeze for at least 30 mins. Bash the frozen chocolate with a rolling pin until it shatters into small chunks inside the bag.
• Pour the milk and cream into a medium heavy-based pan, then add the vanilla pod, scraping the seeds into the mixture. Heat the creamy milk, stirring occasionally, until almost boiling. Add the mint leaves and stalks, cover with a lid, and leave for 15 mins.
• Strain the liquid, pressing the mint with a spatula to extract maximum flavour. Discard the leaves and stalks, and scoop out the vanilla pod.
• Whisk the egg yolks and caster sugar until thick and pale - about 5 mins if you are using an electric whisk. Return the minty cream to a clean pan and bring back to almost boiling.
• Pour half the hot liquid onto the egg and sugar mixture, whisking to combine everything before adding the remaining liquid. Return the custard to the rinsed-out pan and cook over a low heat, stirring all the time, until lightly thickened - about 3-4 mins. Take care it doesn't get too hot or it may curdle. Strain the custard into a bowl and leave to cool, stirring occasionally to prevent a skin forming. Chill the custard until really cold - it's a good idea to leave it overnight.
• Churn the custard in an ice-cream machine until frozen. Add the chocolate pieces just before it sets. If you don't have a machine, pour the custard into a chilled container and freeze for 2-3 hrs until the sides become icy. Whisk thoroughly to break up any crystals, then add the chocolate and freeze until solid. Leave to soften in the fridge for 20-30 mins, then serve in bowls or cones.

FRESH MINT CHOCOLATE CHIP ICE CREAM

Steps:

• In a blender blend cream, milk, and mint until mint is finely chopped. In a saucepan bring cream mixture just to a boil and cool 15 minutes. Whisk in eggs and sugar and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened and a thermometer registers 170°F. (Do not let custard boil or it will curdle.) Pour custard through a fine sieve into a bowl. Chill custard, its surface covered with plastic wrap, until cold, at least 3 hours, and up to 1 day. Chop chocolate. Freeze custard in an ice-cream maker. Transfer ice cream to an airtight container and stir in chocolate. Put ice cream in freezer to harden.

NO-CHURN FRESH MINT AND CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Bring mint and 1 cup cream to a bare simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat, cover, and let sit 30 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a measuring glass, pressing on solids; discard solids. Chill cream until very cold, about 30 minutes.
• Just before cream is ready, heat chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water (do not let bowl touch water), stirring occasionally, until melted and smooth. (Alternatively, heat in 20-second increments in a microwave, stirring between bursts.) Mix together sweetened condensed milk and salt in a medium bowl.
• Pour remaining 1 cup cream into infused cream in measuring glass. (You should have 2 cups; add more if needed.) Transfer to a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat cream, starting on low speed and gradually increasing to medium-high as it thickens, until billowy and stiff peaks form, about 4 minutes.
• Add a dollop of whipped cream to condensed milk mixture and mix in with a rubber spatula (this is just to lighten it so that the next stage-folding-is easier). Add remaining whipped cream, then sift in cocoa powder. Fold in, running spatula down sides and along bottom of bowl, then lifting up through center and over top while rotating bowl to integrate without deflating, until very few streaks of condensed milk mixture remain and cocoa powder is combined.
• Scrape about one quarter of ice cream base into a loaf pan that's at least 8½x4½". Using a fork, drizzle about one third of melted chocolate over. Repeat layering process, finishing with a layer of ice cream base, to create 4 layers of ice cream base total and 3 layers of drizzled chocolate. Cover with plastic wrap or an airtight silicone lid and freeze until solid, at least 8 hours.
• To serve, transfer loaf pan to refrigerator and let ice cream soften 10 minutes before scooping into bowls.
• Do Ahead: Ice cream can be made 1 week ahead. Keep frozen.

FRESH MINT ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Finely chop mint leaves; an easy way to do this is to add the milk and mint leaves together in a blender and allow the blender to do the work for you.
• Place milk and mint in a medium saucepan, bring to a simmer, then remove from heat and cover for 30 minutes.
• Mix the cream into the milk and mint mixture and set aside.
• Place egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl and whisk for 3 minutes.
• Gradually beat the milk mixture in with the eggs, and then transfer back into the saucepan.
• Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the custard thickens. Do not boil.
• Strain the custard into a clean bowl. Cover with saran wrap and place in refrigerator until cool.
• Once cold, transfer to an ice cream maker and follow your manufacturer's instructions. If you do not have an ice cream maker, you can place mixture in freezer. Then you must remove the mixture every 20 mins and beat well with a wooden spoon to break up any ice particles.
• Enjoy!

FRESH MINT, LEMON & YOGHURT ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Place the sugar and 2 cups (500ml) of cold water in a saucepan over a medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the sugar has completely dissolved. Stop stirring, then increase the heat to medium-high and bring the syrup to the boil.
• Return the heat to medium and simmer for 12 minutes, occasionally using a brush dipped in cold water to brush down the sides of the pan and to remove any sugar crystals (they are otherwise likely to make the syrup cloudy).
• Remove from the heat and leave to cool, then pour the mixture into a container and chill.
• Place the chilled syrup in a blender with mint and lemon juice. Blend at a high speed until the mint is very finely chopped.
• Place the yoghurt in a large bowl and whisk well until it is smooth, then fold in the whipped cream. Add the syrup and whisk to combine.
• If you have an ice cream maker, churn the mixture in it. Otherwise, pour it into a large, stainless-steel bowl and freeze for about 3 hours or until frozen 5cm (2 inches) from the edge.
• Remove the bowl from the freezer and use a whisk or hand-held beaters to give the ice cream a really good whisk, breaking up ice crystals and smoothing it out.
• Repeat these freezing and whisking steps once more. (For an even smoother texture, repeat these steps a few more times).
• Pack the ice cream into a container, cover it tightly and freeze it at least overnight or until it is firm.
• Serve the ice cream with extra mint.

FRESH MINT ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Warm the milk, sugar, 1 cup (250 ml) of the cream, and salt in a small saucepan. Add the mint leaves and stir until they're immersed in the liquid. Cover, remove from the heat, and let steep at room temperature for 1 hour.
• Strain the mint-infused mixture through a mesh strainer into a medium saucepan. Press on the mint leaves to extract as much of the flavor as possible, then discard the mint leaves. Pour the remaining 1 cup (250 ml) heavy cream into a large bowl and set the strainer on top.
• Rewarm the mint-infused mixture. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm mint liquid into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.
• Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula. Pour the custard through the strainer and stir it into the cream. Stir until cool over an ice bath.
• Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.
• Perfect Pairings
• Make Good Scout Ice Cream Sandwiches by using Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwich Cookies (page 223) to surround scoops of Fresh Mint Ice Cream. You can also get that same chocolate-mint cookie effect by layering the just-churned ice cream with a swirl of Fudge Ripple (page 210), Stracciatella (page 210), or crumbled bits of Chewy-Dense Brownies (page 221).

FRESH MINT ICE CREAM

Steps:

• In a saucepan, combine cream and milk. Add chopped mint leaves. Heat to a boil. Remove from heat. Cover. Let stand for about 15 minutes.
• In a bowl, beat egg yolks and sugar until light and fluffy. Strain the cream mixture and heat to a boil again. Pour cream mixture over egg-sugar mixture. Place bowl in a pan of hot water. Whisk until mixture is thick and creamy, about 10 minutes.
• Optional: Add food coloring.
• Remove bowl from hot water.
• Freeze ice cream in an ice cream maker for about 25 minutes or until thick.
• Transfer ice cream to another bowl and keep in the freezer until ready to serve. Scoop out ice cream into individual serving bowls. Garnish with whipped cream, grated chocolate, and fresh mint leaves.