Catastrophe Kitchen | Mexican Hot Chocolate Ice Cream

Mexican hot chocolate has heaps of chocolatey goodness, a hint of cinnamon, and a touch of chili heat. This ice cream version is intensely chocolatey, but also has a touch of smoke and a kiss of rum to give it even more depth of flavor. The result is an ice-cold version of a Mexican hot chocolate that’s perfect for even the hottest summer days.I have made this recipe a few times, and a half of a pepper plus a teaspoon of adobo is the spice level I prefer. If you are spice-averse, maybe just try a teaspoon of the chipotle sauce first; then add a half pepper after blending if you need more spice. Or really go for it and put in a whole pepper if you like, I’m not the boss of you (but you may need to put a warning on the lid).This recipe does require some advance planning when it comes to timing: the ice cream base needs to chill 4 hours or overnight, and then freeze another 2 hours after churning. The bowl of your ice cream machine also needs to freeze at least 10 hours (or overnight) before you use it. When you freeze your ice cream bowl, be sure to put a 9x9 pan into the freezer, as well, to aid in freezing your ice cream quickly once it’s churned.You will need:2 C whipping cream1 C whole milk5 egg yolks½ C brown sugar (divided into two ¼ C portions)⅓ C corn syrup3 T cocoa powder½ to 1 Chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (from a can)5 oz. dark chocolate1 t cinnamon1 t vanilla2 T rum½ t Diamond kosher saltSpecial tools: blender, sieve, 9x9 pan, ice cream makerIf you haven’t already, place a 9x9 pan in the freezer before you start this recipe. It’s important to cool the ice cream as quickly as possible to prevent it from forming ice crystals, and this is one way to help super-cool your ice cream in a regular old kitchen freezer.I like to get things measured out before I start this recipe, as it comes together quite quickly. Go ahead and chop your chocolate and separate your eggs, too. You can reserve the whites for another use. Make sure your brown sugar is measured into two separate ¼ C portions, as you’ll need to use them separately. You can put the rest of the chiles and adobo sauce into a sealable bag and toss them in the freezer for using later.Whisk the egg yolks and ¼ C brown sugar together and set aside.Add all of the remaining ingredients except the dark chocolate, whipping cream, and rum to a blender.Blend this mix and taste for spice. If you want more smoky spice, add a teaspoon of the adobo sauce. Taste again. If you’d like even more spice, add another half pepper. I found that a half pepper was enough for some spicy tingle, but not enough to be truly spicy. If you are a spice hound, you might want a whole pepper in there.Once the mix is good for you, add the whipping cream in and blend very briefly, about 3 seconds. If you blend longer, your cream will start to aerate– don’t worry (I have done this, of course). It’s not a problem! It will melt into an ice cream base regardless; it just might take a touch longer.Add the cream mixture to a saucepan, then add the chopped chocolate to the pan, as well. Heat over medium high heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture starts to bubble lightly on the edges and steam (about 175F).Now is a good time to find a bowl that will fit the liquid (for cooling); set it out with a sieve on top (for straining out any errant chunky bits).Take the pan off the heat. Using a ladle or measuring cup with a spout, dip out about a cup of liquid from the pan. Whisking the egg yolk mixture rapidly, slowly pour this cup of hot liquid into the yolk mixture. This will help the egg yolks to come up to temperature without immediately cooking into scrambled eggs. Then pour the (now hot) yolk mixture into the hot milk pan, whisking rapidly again as you pour.Put the pan back over medium heat and stir with a spatula. You’re looking for it to thicken; it should start bubbling with thick bubbles along the edges when it is ready (180F). See how it is thicker along the edges here?Immediately remove the pan from heat and whisk in the rum, then pour the liquid through the sieve and into the bowl. No matter how well I temper the eggs, I always have a few tiny bits of scrambled egg that I like to make sure aren’t in my final ice cream. The sieve will trap them all!Let the mix cool on the countertop until it stops steaming. When it is closer to room-temperature, put a cup of the mix into a small container and put that container in the freezer. Cover the remaining mix in the bowl with plastic wrap and cool in the fridge for at least four hours, or overnight.When your mix has been cooling for AT LEAST FOUR HOURS (do not even try to do this earlier, your ice cream will just never set up), you’re ready for churning!Remember that little container of frozen mix? Grab it out of the fridge and add it to the bowl with the rest of the mix. Using a whisk or a wooden spoon, break the frozen mix up and whisk into the chilled mix. This, again, is going to help you get a super-cooled base, and will prevent ice crystal formation.When the two mixes are relatively well combined (it’s OK if there are some chunks of frozen mix), churn the ice cream according to your machine instructions.When you're finished churning (the ice cream should be like soft-serve and your machine should be clicking away), transfer the ice cream to the pre-frozen 9x9 pan and cover with plastic wrapPop it into the freezer and let it freeze for about 2 hours before transferring it to a sealable container (any longer and it will be hard to pack into a container without air gaps, which, you guessed it, will cause ice crystals to form)Freeze the ice cream a couple hours or overnight, then you’re ready to enjoy the best ice cream ever!