Fresh Mint Stracciatella Ice Cream
Embrace that overgrown mint!
We planted a little container of mojito mint in a shady, dry part of our garden where most plants would shrivel and die. But being the hardy, potentially invasive herb that it is, the mint is thriving, leaving us with more than enough for our daily cooking needs. Enter: fresh mint stracciatella ice cream, possibly the most delicious way to deal with an herbal abundance.
The base
While I love a rich custard-style ice cream, I opted for a Philadelphia-style (eggless) base here as a clean backdrop for fresh, aromatic mint (egg yolks can mask more delicate flavors). Skim milk powder and xanthan gum (find this in the baking or gluten-free area in your grocery store!) may seem like odd ingredients, but both help bind free water in the base, resulting in smoother, creamier, and longer-lasting ice cream. In a similar vein, using glucose syrup for a portion of the sweetener improves texture, as glucose binds water more effectively than regular granulated sugar. It’s also less sweet.
(I went deeper into ice cream ingredients/equipment in this post, if you want to read more!)
The infusion
You can infuse into either hot or cold liquid. Some ingredients work best with one method, while others can go either way. You can even do a combination of both.
I think fresh mint is one of those “either way” ingredients, but in this case I opted for a hot infusion so I could more easily control the level of mintiness. For my tastebuds and mint variety (mojito!), the sweet spot was between 1.5/2 hours. However, I encourage you to taste your way to your ideal mintiness level — the dairy should have a strong, clean mint flavor (note that it will taste less strong once mixed with the other ingredients and frozen).
The chocolate
You can enjoy mint ice cream as a clean, mix-in free flavor, but I’m partial to the classic mint + chocolate chip combo. We want our chocolate to actually taste good cold, though, not be inedibly hard little lumps of sadness impeding every bite (which would happen if you just threw chocolate chips into the machine). The trick is to choose a good quality chocolate you like, melt it with some refined coconut oil, and stream it into the ice cream during the last minute of churning. The cold ice cream will cause the chocolate to set almost immediately, and you’ll be rewarded with little delicious freckles of chocolate in each scoop.
More frozen treats:
Blondie ice cream sandwiches (no churn!)
Strawberry buttermilk ice cream (plus ice cream FAQ)
Today’s fresh mint ice cream recipe is available below for all subscribers. To help support my work and access all past recipes in the archive, consider upgrading to a paid subscription for $5/month. Thank you for supporting my work!
Fresh Mint Stracciatella (Mint Chip) Ice Cream
Makes ~1 liter
Ingredients:
For the fresh mint base:
405g whole milk
385g heavy cream (35%)
30g fresh mint (I used Mojito), both leaves and stems, washed and dried
120g granulated sugar
40g skim milk powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp xanthan gum (optional, but highly recommended for texture)
50g glucose syrup (or light corn syrup)
For the stracciatella:
80g bittersweet chocolate (I used ~60%)
20g refined coconut oil
Method:
Infuse the dairy: In a medium saucepan, combine the milk and cream. Heat over medium-low until steaming, then remove from heat, add the mint sprigs, and cover. Steep for 1 1/2-2 hours, then strain into a measuring glass, squeezing on the mint sprigs to extract as much liquid as possible. (You should have about 780g of dairy; top up with more milk/cream if needed.)
Prepare the base: Rinse and dry the saucepan and strainer. Set the strainer over a clean, heatproof container. In the saucepan, whisk together the sugar, milk powder, salt, and xanthan gum until very well combined. Whisk in about half the infused dairy along with the glucose. Return to a bare simmer over medium low heat, whisking frequently, then strain into the prepared container. Add the remaining infused dairy. Cover and chill until very cold, at least 4 hours or overnight.
Churn: Before churning, place the container for your ice cream in the freezer (a loaf pan works well). Churn base according to the instructions for your machine, until the mixture has the texture of soft serve. While the ice cream is churning, melt the chocolate and coconut oil together in the microwave or over a double boiler.
Once the ice cream has reached soft-serve consistency, with the machine still running, slowly drizzle in the melted chocolate in a thin, steady stream. It should harden almost instantly, and the paddle should break the chocolate into small pieces.
Scrape ice cream into the prepared container and press a piece of parchment against the surface. Freeze until firm, 4-6 hours. Ice cream will keep for up to 3 months.