Chocolate Lavender Ice Cream with Berry Swirl
Anyone who knows me knows that I have a near obsession with lavender. I’m always looking for new ways to incorporate the flavor and take it into different territories. My mother recently brought my ice cream maker on her latest visit to Colorado, so I’ve been having a lot of fun whipping up new concoctions as winter approaches!
In developing this recipe, I was inspired by a berry lavender ice cream recipe from Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams cookbook, but wanted to create my own flavor combination. I began with a chocolate base from my Ben & Jerry’s cookbook, and took the recipe into my own hands from there.
Ingredients
Compote:
1/2 cup berries (frozen or fresh, I’d recommend mixed, raspberry or blackberry!)
1 Tbsp sugar
Ice Cream:
2 oz (1/4 cup) bittersweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups whole milk
2 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp lavender extract (you can buy lavender extract here)
Instructions
First, you’ll make the compote. Combine your berries and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the berries bubble a bit and have broken down into a jammy consistency. If you want your compote more evenly incorporated, feel free to leave it a bit thinner, but if you want more of a defined swirl you’ll want your compote to be extra thick. Set aside and let cool.
Using a double boiler, heat some water over medium heat, and add chocolate to the top of the double boiler. Stir your chocolate with a small rubber spatula until melted, and then gradually whisk in your cocoa powder. The mixture will clump up, but one the milk is added it will melt away. Then whisk in your milk a little at a time, and heat the mixture completely until smooth and well-blended. Remove from heat and let cool.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs until light and fluffy, a couple of minutes. Whisk in the sugar in a thin stream for gradual incorporation, then continue to mix until blended. Add in the cream, vanilla and lavender and whisk to blend.
Pour the chocolate mixture into the cream mixture and stir to combine. Refrigerate for about an hour.
Transfer mixture to an ice cream maker and freeze following manufacturer’s instructions. I personally have a Cuisinart maker with a freezer bowl, and for my maker it takes 30 minutes. If you want incorporated compote, add the compote into the top of the ice cream maker 2 minutes before the churning is done. If you’re looking for more of a swirl, I’d suggest using a rubber spatula to fold the compote in before storage.
