CHESTNUT ICE CREAM WITH CHOCOLATE GRAND MARNIER SAUCE

Chestnut Ice Cream with Chocolate Grand Marnier Sauce image

Yield Makes about 2 quarts ice cream

Number Of Ingredients 16

Previous Next

For ice cream
1 cup roasted, shelled, and skinned chestnuts; see how to roast fresh chestnuts ; (1/2 lb in shell or 7 oz bottled whole)
3 cups whole milk
1 1/3 cups heavy cream
6 large egg yolks
1 1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 (4-inch) strip fresh orange zest, removed with a vegetable peeler
1 teaspoon vanilla
For sauce
1 cup heavy cream
6 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), finely chopped (1 cup)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 to 4 tablespoons Grand Marnier, or to taste
Special Equipment
an instant-read thermometer and an ice-cream maker

Steps:

Make ice cream:
Finely chop chestnuts and cook with 1 1/4 cups milk at a bare simmer in a large heavy saucepan, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes. Purée in a blender until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids).
Bring cream and remaining 1 3/4cups milk just to a simmer in heavy saucepan and remove from heat.
Beat together yolks and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until thick and pale and mixture forms a ribbon when beaters are lifted.
Whisk 1/3 of hot cream mixture into yolk mixture to temper, then whisk yolk mixture into remaining cream mixture. 3Whisk in chestnut purée and salt, then add zest. Cook over moderately low heat, stirring constantly, just until mixture registers 170°F on an instant-read thermometer (do not boil).
Immediately pour custard through a fine sieve into a clean metal bowl and stir in vanilla. Set bowl in a larger bowl of ice and cold water and cool custard, stirring occasionally. Chill, surface covered with waxed paper, until cold, at least 3 hours.
Freeze custard in ice-cream maker, then transfer to an airtight container and put in freezer to harden.
Make sauce:
Bring cream just to a simmer in a heavy saucepan over moderate heat and remove from heat. Add chocolate and butter, whisking until smooth. Whisk in Grand Marnier.
Serve ice cream with sauce.