Some folks tell me they don’t like white chocolate. “It’s not chocolate!” they’ll say with a bit of smug certitude. True, but that’s like saying “I don’t like Champagne because it’s not white wine.” Both have merits and to say you don’t like one because it isn’t the other isn’t very logical. I fall into the camp of white chocolate lovers. To convince people of how good white chocolate can be, I often make ice cream with it and add fresh ginger for spicy contrast. And if that’s not enough, I stir in shiny, dark chocolate–covered roasted peanuts to give it nice crunch. If anyone still has any resistance to white chocolate, I call it their loss and am happy to eat the ice cream all by myself.
Recipe information
Yield
makes about 1 quart (1 liter)
Ingredients
White chocolate–ginger ice cream
Chocolate covered peanuts
Preparation
Step 1
To make the ice cream, put the ginger slices in a medium saucepan and add water to cover. Bring to a boil, then decrease the heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Pour off the water. Add the sugar, milk, and 1 cup (250 ml) cream. Heat the mixture until warm, remove from the heat, cover, and let steep for 1 hour.
Step 2
Using a slotted spoon, remove and discard the ginger slices, then reheat the cream mixture until it’s warm.
Step 3
Put the white chocolate in a large bowl and set a mesh strainer across the top.
Step 4
In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks, then gradually add some of the warmed milk mixture, whisking constantly as you pour. Pour the warmed yolks back into the saucepan.
Step 5
Cook over low heat, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom of the pan with a heatproof spatula, until the custard is thick enough to coat the spatula. Pour the custard through the mesh strainer into the chocolate and stir until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Add the remaining 1 cup (250 ml) cream.
Step 6
Set the bowl containing the custard over a larger bowl of ice water. Stir the custard until cool, then cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.
Step 7
To make the chocolate covered peanuts, add the chocolate to a medium heatproof bowl, set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, and stir occasionally until the chocolate is melted and smooth.
Step 8
Line a dinner plate with plastic wrap or parchment paper. Remove the chocolate from the heat, add the peanuts, and stir until coated, then spread the mixture on the plate. Refrigerate until firm, then chop into small pieces.
Step 9
Freeze the custard in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Stir the chopped chocolate covered peanuts into the just-churned ice cream when you remove it from the ice cream machine.
Variations
Step 10
White chocolate–ginger ice cream made without the chocolate covered peanuts is terrific served with summer fruit desserts, such as Nectarine-Berry Cobbler (page 104). Or, for an extra dose of spiciness, you can replace the chocolate-covered peanuts with 1/2 cup (50 g) finely chopped Candied Ginger (page 252).
tip
Step 11
Make sure to use real white chocolate. Bars labeled “white bar” and “baking white” often aren’t white chocolate but imitations that lack the cocoa butter–rich flavor of true white chocolate. Real white chocolate (which is ivory in color) is labeled as such.
