Chocolate Orange Ice Cream

Have you ever taken notice of how your memory works?  It is quite obvious for most people that pictures or visual cues can spark memories.  But I always find it amazing and startling when a smell or taste starts a cascade of memories in my mind.  Memories are another reason that I love food and experimenting with flavors, because I never know what memory I might spark in myself or others.

I have written before about my love for chocolate ice cream and its endless possibilities.  Chocolate ice cream on its own is a decadent treat, but combined with other sweet and savory flavors chocolate ice cream can become an experience, a memory.  The flavors of chocolate and orange evoke a particularly sweet memory of my husband and I sitting in a restaurant in Minneapolis sharing our thoughts over a plate of elegant dessert.  This week I chose to recreate this memory in scoop.  The dark chocolate base stands strong with a hint of citrus in each bite.  Enjoy!

Chocolate Orange Ice Cream
Adapted from recipe for Dark Chocolate Ice Cream in Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home

Chocolate-orange syrup
1/2 cup unsweeteened cocoa powder
1/2 cup brewed coffee
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons orange zest
1/4 cup (2 ounces) fresh squeezed orange juice
1 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

Ice Cream base
2 cups whole milk
1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 1/2 ounces (3 Tablespoons) cream cheese, softened
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons light corn syrup

Combine cocoa powder, coffee, sugar, orange zest, and orange juice in a small saucepan and place over medium low heat.  Bring to a boil and stir until sugar melts and ingredients are combined.  Remove pan from heat and add chocolate.  Let stand for 5 minutes and then stir until chocolate is melted.  Set aside.

Fill a large bowl with ice water and set aside.  In a small bowl, mix 2 Tablespoons of the milk with the cornstarch.  In a medium bowl, whisk the cream cheese, chocolate-orange syrup, and salt until smooth. Set aside.

Combine remaining milk, cream, sugar, and corn sryup in a medium pan. Bring milk mixture to a boil.  Cook over moderate heat until the sugar dissolves, about 4 minutes. 

Remove from heat and off the heat, gradually whisk in the cornstarch mixture.  Return to a boil and cook over moderately high heat until the mixture is slightly thickened (draw a line on a spoon), about 1 minute.   Gradually pour the hot milk mixture into the cream cheese mixture and whisk until smooth.  Pour the mixture into a gallon bag, seal tightly, and set baggie in the ice water bath, cover with some ice, and let stand until cold, about 20 minutes or longer.

Once chilled, pour into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions.  Freeze until firm, about 4 hours or overnight.