Sometimes I’m afraid to admit that I love white chocolate. Purists argue, “It’s not real chocolate.” Although that may technically be true, who cares? (French fries aren’t “real chocolate” either…yet they’re pretty darn good.) So I don’t compare it to dark chocolate, since it’s a whole other ballgame. White chocolate’s creamy-smooth, delicate cocoa butter flavor is perfect when melted and stirred into ice cream, and the result makes a truly outstanding dessert when topped with Sour Cherries in Syrup (page 185). And I’ve yet to come across any chocolate cake that couldn’t be improved by a scoop of white chocolate ice cream melting seductively alongside.
Recipe information
Yield
makes about 1 quart (1 liter)
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Put the chocolate pieces in a large bowl and set a mesh strainer over the top.
Step 2
Warm the milk, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm milk into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.
Step 3
Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula. Pour the custard through the strainer over the white chocolate. Stir until the white chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth, then stir in the cream. Stir until cool over an ice bath.
Step 4
Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Perfect Pairings
Step 5
Make White Chocolate–Cherry Ice Cream by folding very well-drained and coarsely chopped Sour Cherries in Syrup (page 185) or Candied Cherries (page 215) into the just-churned ice cream.
Step 6
For Black and White Chocolate Ice Cream, layer one recipe of Fudge Ripple (page 210), Dark Chocolate Truffles (page 211), or Stracciatella (page 210) into the just-churned ice cream.
