Food on Friday: Lick of the Irish

By Julia Westhoff

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, we’ve been hitting the sauce pretty heavy. No, I don’t mean liquor – those days are long gone for us. Instead, we’ve been churning out batch after batch of homemade ice cream, in flavors even Ben and Jerry haven’t dreamed up. And perhaps our favorite is one that’s perfect for this weekend – Guinness Milk Chocolate. The taste is similar to a chocolate malt – rich, sweet and super creamy (the beer keeps it from freezing too hard). The creator of this ice cream is David Lebovitz – a man who lives in Paris and creates desserts professionally (my dream life, essentially).

If you’re looking for a way to celebrate spring (is it finally here?) and St. Patrick’s Day, give this ice cream a try.

David Lebovitz’s Guinness-Milk Chocolate Ice Cream
makes about one quart

7 ounces milk chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup sugar
pinch of salt
4 large egg yolks
1 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup Guinness Stout
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Put the chocolate pieces in a large bowl and set a mesh strainer over the top.

Warm the milk, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.

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 milk chocolate, then stir until the chocolate is melted. Once the mixture is smooth, whisk in the cream, then the Guinness and vanilla. Stir until cool over an ice bath.

Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.