raspberry ice cream with cracked chocolate.

at least a month ago now, the fabulous sheena sent me a cookbook that she had photographed.  now, you should know this about me by this point (though, i’m not even sure that sheena did), i love cookbooks.  i mean, i really love them.  i would be just as content slipping into bed with a cup of tea and a cookbook as i would an actual novel.  i don’t skimp over the details and dive head first into the recipe.  no, i want to know (if the author’s included this, of course) when it was served, what was the occasion.  you know, the little snippets that sometimes accompany the recipe itself.  i love when that’s included.  it gives meaning to it.  here, i’m serving my family more than just some chicken recipe that came together happenstance in the author’s kitchen some dreary night.  i’m serving something the author worked on, fixed and edited, taste tested and toiled over and served at her daughter’s 10th birthday amidst a bunch of red and pink balloons.  or the shortbread cookies that her neighbor, mrs. mcnally, brought over when the family moved to town.  or the split pea soup that her aunt made every thanksgiving though it’s not the usual side dish at a thanksgiving table.  you know what i’m saying.  so, much to my delight, this book has those little snippets before the recipe, and really good recipes too.  good and simple.  we’ve already eaten the chicken almond dish, and now here’s the ice cream one.  there’s a chocolate sheet cake that’s calling my name next.  this was our third go-round with our cuisinart and perhaps our favorite yet.  i made it for steve’s birthday last month.

raspberry ice cream with cracked chocolate
yields 6 servings

2 cups heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 cups fresh or frozen raspberries, thawed
5 egg yolks
1 1/2 cups half and half
1 cup granulated sugar
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

in a large bowl, add heavy cream and set a fine wire mesh strainer over the top and set aside.  in a food processor or blender, add raspberries and process until smooth.  pour raspberry puree into the wire mesh strainer and set it back on the bowl.  set aside.  in a large bowl, add egg yolks and whisk until smooth.  set aside.

in a large saucepan over medium heat, add half and half and sugar.  stir often, till steam rises from the mixture and it’s hot to the touch.  remove pan from heat and slowly pour half and half into egg yolks, whisking constantly.  pour egg yolk and half and half mixture back into the saucepan and return to the heat.  stir mixture constantly with a wooden spoon, until thickened and it coats the back of the spoon well.  remove pan from heat and pour into the raspberry mixture through strainer (we skipped this step, and it was still totally fine with the seeds!).  set bowl into an ice water bath.  stir mixture till cooled and set in fridge overnight (we also skipped this step, moving right into the ice cream phase!).

while that chills, melt chocolate in a double broiler.  line a baking sheet with waxed paper and, once chocolate’s melted, pour onto wax paper.  spread into a thin layer.  set in freezer until firm, about 15 minutes.  remove chocolate from freezer and break the chocolate up into bite sized shards.

once base is thoroughly chilled, churn ice cream base in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions.  stir in cracked chocolate and freeze until solid.

source: the family flavor