Light, Rich and Creamy Chocolate Hazelnut Ice Cream

I was craving a homemade dessert that I could keep on hand for a while and to help me beat the waning DC heat. So naturally my mind fell on ice cream. I only had two eggs left in my fridge, which posed a bit of a problem as I usually make my ice creams with 4-6 egg yolks. However, I had recently read an article in the New York Times about egg-less ice creams. And so I thought that I could try to apply that theory to this recipe. Of course I couldn't help myself so I added 2 eggs, including the whites. I think that was enough and I'm glad I did it.

Traditionally in a gelato, there is no cream added. This allows it to be lower in fat than traditional, American ice creams. However, my lack of eggs necessitated the addition of heavy cream in order to allow for the proper creaminess and mouthfeel of the frozen dessert. And I think that allowed for the perfect balance of cream to egg to milk and a dessert that came out at the perfect consistency right out of the freezer, as opposed to having to let it sit at room temperature in order to allow it to be scoop-able.

In my haste and excitement, I didn't freeze the freezer bowl completely, and so it was churned in a half frozen bowl for about 30 minutes. I then poured it into a pyrex bowl and stuck it in the freezer overnight, fearful that I would awake to a block of solid custard. But the result was light, airy, smooth and better than I could have hoped for.

Ingredients

2 C whole milk

1 C heavy cream

2 eggs

1 t vanilla

1/2 C bittersweet chocolate chips

1/2 C nutella

1 T olive oil

Method:

Make the custard base using milk, cream and eggs, by heating the milk and cream to 170 degrees, adding 1/2 cup of the heated milk to the eggs, then adding that to the sauce pan and heat for another 10 minutes, at the point right before it simmers. Melt the chocolate chips with the nutella and olive oil, then add to the custard base and chill. 

When cool, add the mixture to an ice cream maker and churn according to the machine's directions. Chill in the fridge for another 2 hours, then serve.

Nutritional Information (1/2 cup portion)

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 77 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories 217 Calories from Fat 102

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 11.4g 18%

Saturated Fat 8.8g 44%

Cholesterol 38mg 13%

Sodium 34mg 1%

Total Carbohydrates 25.6g 9%

Dietary Fiber 1.2g 5%

Sugars 23.7g

Protein 3.2g

Vitamin A 4% • Vitamin C 0% Calcium 7% • Iron 6%

Nutrition Grade C

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet