Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

It's Secret Recipe Club Reveal Day! This month, I was assigned to Kitchen Trial and Error, a wonderful blog with so many tasty choices. It was hard to choose. So hard, that I chose two! I made banana scones and I also made mint ice cream. Since July is National Ice Cream month, I thought it would be more appropriate to post the ice cream recipe. But I promise you that I will post the banana scones. Soon. Cause you will want to make those too!

And here's another good reason to make the mint ice cream...



Look at all that mint in my yard! (And that is just one tiny section!) I am overrun with mint. So you can imagine how ecstatic I was when I saw on Kate's blog that it could be used to make ICE CREAM.

Start by combining 2 cups of the half and half and the sugar in a medium saucepan.



Add a pinch of salt and the mint,



and warm it over low heat, stirring occasionally. When the mixture is hot and steamy,



remove from the heat and cover. Let the mint steep for 1 hour. After the hour is up, place a fine mesh strainer over a bowl, and pour the steeped cream through the strainer.



Now use your fingers to squeeze as much liquid out of the mint leaves as possible.



(Now you can discard the mint leaves.) Pour the infused cream back in to the saucepan and warm it over low heat.

Pour the remaining cup of half and half into a bowl,



and set the strainer back over the top. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks. Pour some of the warm mint milk into the egg yolks



and whisk constantly. (I use just a couple ladle fulls.) Pour the egg mixture into the saucepan,



and stir constantly until the mixture thickens slightly and coats the back of the spatula (or spoon, whatever you're using).



Now pour the custard over the strainer.



(This is important so that you don't get any little "scrambled" egg bits in your ice cream!)

Now place the mixture into an ice bath (just a larger bowl with ice and water)



and stir gently until the mixture cools. Cover the bowl, and refrigerate overnight. Pour the custard into your ice cream freezer



and add the chocolate chips in the last few minutes of churning.



And, for the first time in your life, be thankful that mint spreads like wildfire...

One year ago: Spicy Grilled Pork Tenderloin
Two years ago: Summer Cucumber Salad

There's lots more secret recipe club participants at the bottom of this post. For even more inspiration, visit Mouthwatering Mondays, Mangia Mondays, This Week's Cravings, Make a Food "e" Friend Monday, Tempt my Tummy Tuesday, Tuesday at the Table, Tasty Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday (#2), Delectable Tuesday, Made from Scratch Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday (#3).

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

3 cups half and half, divided
3/4 cup sugar
pinch of salt
2 cups packed fresh mint leaves
5 egg yolks
1/3 cup mini chocolate chips

In a medium saucepan, warm 2 cups of the half and half, sugar, salt, and mint. Once the mixture is hot and steaming, remove from heat, cover, and let stand for an hour to infuse the mint flavor.

Pour the infused cream over strainer into a bowl. Use your fingers to extract as much mint flavor and color as possible, then discard the mint.

Pour the remaining cup of half and half into a large bowl and set the strainer over the top. Return the infused cream to the saucepan and rewarm. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, then slowly pour some of the warm mint mixture into the yolks, whisking constantly. Pour the warmed yolks back into the saucepan.

Cook the custard, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula. Immediately strain the mixture into the cream, then stir the mixture over an ice bath until cool.

Refrigerate the mixture overnight, then freeze it in your ice cream maker. Add the chocolate chips in the last few minutes of churning. Makes 1 quart.

Adapted from David Lebovitz via Kitchen Trial and Error