CoolHaus Dirty Mint Chip Ice Cream & Custard Base Recipes

Dirty Mint Chip Ice Cream
Makes about: 1 ½ quarts
Active time: 20 to 30 minutes

We have news for you. That supermarket mint chip ice cream with the nuclear-green color? It doesn’t have any mint leaves in it. It has mint oil or fake mint flavoring, and that nasty color comes from artificial coloring. Real, fresh mint leaves give our Dirty Mint a fresh, cool intensity. Why is it "dirty?" Because we use brown sugar in the base, which gives the ice cream a deep caramel punch and a natural light brown color. It is also "dirty" because we don’t strain out the mint. Leaving it in deepens the flavor the longer the ice cream is in the freezer.

(Warning: This has been known to convert mint ice cream haters.)

Ingredients:
• ⅓ cup finely chopped fresh mint leaves
• ½ tablespoon dark brown sugar • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt • Plain Custard Base or Eggless Base, made with light brown sugar instead of granulated • ½ cup mini semisweet chocolate chips (we like Guittard or Ghirardelli)
Recipe:

1. Stir mint leaves, dark brown sugar, and salt into base. Mix well.
2. Process in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions.
3. Transfer to a bowl and fold in chocolate chips.
4. Scrape into an airtight storage container. Freeze for a minimum of 2 hours before serving.

Suggested Cookies:
Chocolate Chip or Double Chocolate
Coolhaus Sandwich Creations:
The Buck-mint-ster Fuller: Chocolate Chip Cookies + Dirty Mint Chip Ice Cream.
Mint-imalism: Double Chocolate Cookies + Dirty Mint Chip Ice Cream.

Plain Custard Base
Makes about: 1 ½ quarts
Active time: 10 to 15 minutes

Use the freshest eggs available for best results. If possible, refrigerate the base for a full 24 hours— the longer, the better. We like to chill our bases in plastic or stainless-steel pitchers with airtight lids for easy pouring into the ice cream maker after chilling.

Ingredients:
• 2 cups whole milk • 2 cups heavy cream • 1¼ cups granulated sugar • 8 large egg yolks Recipe:

1. In a 4-quart saucepan, combine milk, cream, and half of sugar. Set over high heat, and cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a boil, about 5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk yolks and remaining sugar until smooth, heavy, and pale yellow, about 30 seconds.
3. When cream mixture just comes to a boil, whisk, remove from heat, and, in a slow stream, pour half of cream mixture over yolksugar mixture, whisking constantly until blended.
4. Return pan to stovetop over low heat. Whisking constantly, stream yolk-cream mixture back into pan.
5. With a wooden spoon, continue stirring until mixture registers 165 to 180 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 2 minutes. Do not heat above 180 degrees, or eggs in base will scramble. Mixture should be slightly thickened and coat back of spoon, with steam rising, but not boiling. (If you blow on the back of the spoon and the mixture ripples, you’ve got the right consistency.)
6. Pour base into a clean airtight container and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours before using.
7. Use base within 3 to 5 days.

Excerpted from COOLHAUS © 2014 by Natasha Case and Freya Estreller. Reproduced by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.

Check out more of the amazing gourmet creations from CoolHaus Ice Cream at EatCoolHaus.com.