Round Two

So while my vanilla ice cream didn’t really turn out like I had expected I refused to give up. There was no question in my mind that I was going to try again the only problem was that if I wanted the ice cream to turn out somewhat more like actually ice cream then I would need something of an ice cream maker. I am kinda poor so I couldn’t afford a “real”, nice one but I was determined so I went on eBay and found myself something similar to an ice cream maker… another new toy!! I’m sure you have all heard of this thing, it’s called the Play and Freeze ice cream maker and I know it’s nothing fancy or anything but hey, it was cheap and its pretty fun to make ice cream with. Essentially all you have to do with this thing is put ice cubes and rock salt in one end and your ingredients in the other and shake, shake, shake it… shake it like a Polaroid picture! It is that easy and a bit of a workout to offset all the ice cream you will be eating for the next week.

I have been itching to make something with rhubarb for a long time and knowing that it is seasonal I was worried I would miss out on my chance to do so if I didn’t get to it. I love the pairing of strawberries and rhubarb, in fact one of my favorite desserts as a kid was strawberry rhubarb pies, so I knew without hesitation that this was the direction I was going to take. I scoured the internet to see if there were any recipes for this kind of thing since this was only my second time making ice cream and I had never cooked with rhubarb before. As fate would have it I stumbled upon a recipe on Superspark to use as a starting point (http://superspark.wordpress.com/2007/06/27/strawberry-rhubarb-ginger-ice-cream/). I am not really a huge fan of ginger so I knew I would be leaving that out and I felt like it needed another dimension thus my idea for adding dark chocolate chunks to the mix was born. Especially since my favorite way to eat a chocolate bar is frozen ha. So here goes the recipe that I used after the modifications that I made to the original recipe:

Strawberry Rhubarb Dark Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream

Ingredients:
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup skim milk
3/4 cup sugar
pinch of salt
1.5 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups strawberries, stemmed and coarsely chopped
3 stalks rhubarb, cut into small pieces (1/2 inch or so)
200 g of 70% dark chocolate, chopped into small pieces
3/4 cup water

Directions:
1. Put rhubarb and water in small pot and simmer over medium-low heat until it reaches a thick applesauce-like consistency. Using the back of a wooden spoon, push through a sieve and set aside.
2. In a bowl, combine the milk and cream. Add the sugar and salt and whisk until the sugar begins to dissolve. Stir in the vanilla. Set aside, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Then cover and refrigerate the mixture for 3-8 hours. Once the rhubarb mixture has cooled, stir it into the milk mixture.
3. In a bowl, using a fork, mash half of the chopped strawberries. Add the remaining coarsely chopped strawberries to the bowl. Cover and refrigerate for about an hour.
4. Put the milk-rhubarb mixture into an ice-cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions. When nearly frozen, like soft serve , add the chocolate and the strawberries. Churn or stir until just blended. Transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze until firm, at least 3 hours.

Three words: OH MY GOD! This ice cream is sooooo good and highly addictive. I warn you that if you are going to try making this you will have a hard time keeping yourself from eating the whole thing in one sitting, I know I do. The tartness of the rhubarb and the sweetness of the strawberry go so well together and the dark chocolate compliments it, bringing out the flavors of the strawberry and rhubarb. This stuff is so tasty that I know I will be making this again .

Panda