A twist on classic Italian stracciatella ice cream. Creamy olive oil ice cream made with extra virgin olive oil and flecked with semi-sweet chocolate bits!
2ouncessemi-sweet chocolatebroken into small pieces
1tablespoon (15 g)unsalted butter
Optional Toppings:
high-quality extra virgin olive oilfor garnishing
flaky saltfor garnishing
Instructions
Combine the whole milk, granulated sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan. In a large separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Set aside.
Place the milk mixture over medium-low heat and heat until just beginning to simmer. Remove from the heat and slowly temper the milk mixture into the egg yolks, whisking continuously as you pour. Place the ice cream base back in the saucepan, and heat over medium-low heat, stirring continously, until the mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon.
Place the heavy cream in a seperate large bowl or container that can easily be set over an ice bath. Strain the hot ice cream base over a fine-meshed sieve set over the chilled heavy cream. Whisk the mixture together until smooth. Slowly whisk the olive oil into the ice cream base - pouring the oil in a very thin stream with your other hand as you whisk. Set mixture over an ice bath, stirring every 10 minutes or so, until the base has cooled completely. Place ice cream base in an airtight container and set in the refrigerator until it is chilled through. Churn the ice cream mixture in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
As the ice cream is churning, prepare the chocolate: Combine the chopped chocolate and butter in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 15 second increments, stirring between each interval, until the chocolate and butter have melted and the mixture is smooth. Be careful not to over-heat, as it will cause the chocolate to get grainy. Transfer the melted chocolate into a small Ziploc bag. You want the chocolate to stay warm (if necessary, set the sealed bag in a bowl of warm water to keep warm as the ice cream finishes churning).
In the last few minutes of churning, snip a very small hole from the bottom of the bag of chocolate and slowly drizzle it into the ice cream in a very thin stream as it is churning. For garnishing, I like to reserve a small quantity of melted chocolate for drizzling over the surface of the ice cream for storing.
Transfer the ice cream to a container, cover the surface of the ice cream lightly with parchment paper or plastic wrap. Freeze for a minimum of 4 to 6 hours, or until firm enough to scoop. Serve and, if desired, drizzle the ice cream with a small drizzleof high-quality extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt.