The World's Best Chocolate Ice Cream

Not too long ago, I was cautioned against naming anything "the best" or "delicious" - and advised rather to let readers taste for themselves and decide. Which does make sense - if you're in the Cape Town area and want to pop in and taste some - you're more than welcome. If you're not in the area, you'll have to take my word for it - this is the best chocolate ice cream you'll ever taste.

I am classically, a non-chocolate ice cream eater. I've been put off my too many cocoa-flavoured anemic looking ice cream cones - you know the type : a very pale brown, vaguely flavoured with something that at one stage could have been an imitation of chocolate. So, I generally always avoid chocolate ice cream, as it's always led to disappointment. The challenge was then set : I had to make a chocolate ice cream I actually loved. 

The base of this ice cream is not custard - so no eggs involved - it's a little trick with condensed milk and cream I learned at the Lindt Studio. It means no cooking over a stove or waiting for it to cool before churning. Naturally, there is quite a bit of chocolate involved - 400g - but goodness, it's a winner. It's unbelievably creamy, and sets to a texture halfway between chocolate ganache and chocolate mousse. If you're searching for a chocolate ice cream that actually tastes like chocolate : look no further.    

 

The World's Best Chocolate Ice Cream
Makes approximately 800ml

Ingredients:
600ml cream
1 tin condensed milk (around 397g)
400g chocolate (I used half milk and half dark)
3 tbsp cocoa powder

Method:
Break the chocolate into small pieces. Heat 100ml of the cream in a medium sized bowl until almost boiling (microwave is easiest), then add the chocolate pieces to the bowl. Allow to sit for a minute, then stir to melt the chocolate. Microwave for 10 seconds at a time if still not melted. Stir in the condensed milk and sieve in the cocoa powder.

Whip the remaining 500ml cream to stiff peaks. Gently fold in the chocolate / condensed milk mixture until combined. Churn and freeze according to your ice cream maker's instructions.