The other week when I first tried fresh roasted chestnuts I thought that chestnuts would make a good ice cream. I noticed that this months In The Bag event at A Slice of Cherry Pie called for chestnuts, chocolate and sugar. I though that chestnut and chocolate ice cream sounded really nice. I know, I know, its cold now and not really the time for ice cream…
The first step to making the chestnut ice cream would be to figure out how to get the chestnuts into the ice cream. I would need to puree the chestnuts but the roasted chestnuts that I made previously were rather hard and I did not think that they would puree all that well. After looking around a bit I found that you could peel chestnuts by boiling them and soften them by simmering them and then puree them . I though that I would also roast and chop some chestnuts and put them in the ice cream to get the flavour and texture of the roasted chestnuts. For the chocolate, I grabbed a 3 ounce bar of dark chocolate and melted 2/3rds of it and chopped the remaining chocolate so that I would have some nice chocolate chunks in the ice cream.
The chestnut and chocolate ice cream turned out really well. The flavours of the chestnuts and chocolate were well balanced. The ice cream was not too sweet. The texture of the of the soft chestnuts and the solid chunks of chocolate were really nice. I think that this is one of the best chocolate ice creams that I have had. I really like the texture of the ice cream when it just comes out of the ice cream maker, almost like soft serve ice cream. But it does not take the best picture at that point…
Chestnut and Chocolate Ice Cream
ingredients
- 2 ounces dark chocolate
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cups sugar
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 cup chestnut puree
- 1 ounce dark chocolate (chopped)
- 1 handful roasted chestnuts (chopped)
directions
- Melt the chocolate into the cream over a double boiler, reduce the heat and keep warm.
- Heat the cream, milk and sugar in a sauce pan until it almost boils, about 5 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to low.
- Add one tablespoon of the cream mixture to the egg to temper it.
- Add the egg to the sauce pan.
- Cook at low heat until it is slightly thickened and coats the back of a spoon.
- Add the melted chocolate and chestnut puree and stir.
- Chill the mixture in the fridge.
- Add the chocolate chunks and chopped chestnuts.
- Freeze according to the instructions for your ice cream machine.
Chestnut Cheesecake
Kenvin–that’s just dreamy! If Ben & Jerry learn about this, I expect to see it for sale.
Good thinking with mixing both baked and boiled chestnuts. Looks yummy!
this combination looks great! choc and chestnut!
i think this is really a great combination: chestnut & cho ice cream..i would love to top it over a maple syrup tart..yummy
Great pairing Kevin. With ice cream like this, who cares if it’s cold outside!
The ice cream looks delicious, Kevin – I would have a bowl of it no matter what temperature! 🙂
I don’t think there is a bad time of year for ice cream!! This sounds wonderful – I may just have to make this and do my own chestnuts (following your instructions!) for the first time ever.
Wow, what a fantastic idea. I bet it tastes amazing.
Thanks for entering!
It’s a bit of a conundrum: it’s winter so not the best time for ice cream…but no chestnuts in the summer. I think I’ll opt for the ice cream. The chocolate-chestnut combinations sounds wonderful!
It’s ALWAYS time for ice cream! Very nice!
Great combo A nice “winter” icecream!
Your ice cream looks great! Chesnuts seem like they would work wondefully…if only I had an ice cream maker..
http://www.chocolateshavings.ca
Mmm I must try this. Looks fantastic.
Hi Kevin, I have just made this ice cream! It’s sitting in the freezer right now, but I’ve sampled some and it’s awesome!
I love this combo.. I do an amazing chocolate cake with sweet chestnut and ganache layers. May be a better bet for those cold winter days!
I've gotta try this!