Vanilla Mint Ice Cream Recipes

VANILLA MINT ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Whisk the cream and milk together, and pour them into a saucepan set over medium-low heat. When the milk and cream begin to bubble ever so slightly at the edges of the pan, stir in the honey until it dissolves. Turn off the heat.
• Toss the mint into the saucepan. Take a paring knife, and cut a slit length-wise in the vanilla bean, then toss it in with the liquid ingredients and the mint. Cover the pot, and let the vanilla bean and mint steep in the sweetened milk for 20 minutes. Strain into a mixing bowl, cover it well and transfer it to the refrigerator until cold - about 2 hours.
• When the ice cream mix has grown cold, remove it from the fridge and whisk in the egg yolks until thoroughly combined and uniform.
• Pour the mix into an ice cream maker, and freeze according to the ice cream maker's manufacturer's instructions.

FRESH VANILLA MINT ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Combine the milk and heavy cream in a medium saucepan. Tear the mint leaves into small pieces (you want to release as much oil from the leaves as possible to infuse maximum flavor), and add to the milk and cream mixture. Place over medium-low heat and heat until just steaming. Remove from the heat, cover with a lid, and allow the fresh mint to infuse in the milk and cream mixture for at least one hour.
• Strain the mint milk mixture through a fine-meshed sieve into a medium bowl. Press the mint leaves with the back of a wooden spoon to release as much oil as possible (the cream milk mixture might be light green in color, don't worry!).
• In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until smooth and pale yellow in color.
• Transfer the strained milk mixture back into the same saucepan and heat over medium heat until just beginning to boil. Remove from the heat immediately. Temper the hot milk mixture into the egg yolks slowly, whisking continously with your other hand as you pour. Transfer the mixture back into the saucepan, and heat over low heat, stirring constantly, until the ice cream base has thickened considerably and coats the back of a wooden spoon.
• Once the ice cream base is thick, pour it through a fine-meshed sieve into a large heat-proof bowl. Place the vanilla bean pod on a cutting board and slice it in half lengthwise with a pairing knife. Using the back of your knife, scrape the vanilla bean caviar and whisk it into the ice cream base. Add the scraped vanilla bean halves to the mixture as well. Set the bowl in an ice bath, stirring every 10 minutes or so, until the base has cooled. Place ice cream base in an airtight container and set in the refrigerator until it has completely chilled.
• Remove the ice cream base from the fridge. Remove the scraped vanilla pod from the ice cream and discard. Churn the ice cream in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. Place the ice cream in an airtight container, cover the surface of the ice cream lightly with parchment paper or plastic wrap (I use this type of container, which works great!).
• Freeze the ice cream for a minimum of 4 to 6 hours, or until firm enough to scoop.

MINT ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Blend mint, milk, sugar, vanilla, and salt together on high speed until the mint leaf bits are tiny, about 1 minute. Add heavy cream and blend until uniform, about 15 seconds.
• Pour mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions, about 20 minutes, adding chocolate chips during the last 5 minutes. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze until firm, about 4 hours.

MINT CHIP ICE CREAM

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, heat the milk to 175°; stir in the sugar and salt until dissolved. Whisk in a small amount of the hot mixture to the eggs. Return all to the pan, whisking constantly. Cook and stir over low heat until mixture coats the back of a metal spoon and reaches at least 160°, 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat. , Cool quickly by placing pan in a bowl of ice water; stir for 2 minutes. Stir in whipping cream, extracts and food coloring if desired. Press plastic wrap onto surface of custard. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight., Stir in the chocolate chips. Fill ice cream freezer cylinder two-thirds full; freeze according to the manufacturer's directions. Refrigerate remaining mixture until ready to freeze. Transfer ice cream to a freezer container; freeze for 2-4 hours before serving.