Napping with Chocolate Butter Almond: Ice Cream #2

My husband's Uncle Kevin is a really cool guy, and this is his favorite ice-cream. Kevin's wife, Barbara, is an accomplished cook and has been making this for their family since she found the original recipe in the instruction booklet for their Procter-Silex Ice Cream maker, in 1982. Barbara has tweaked the recipe since then, and now I have adapted it even further. My favorite part about this ice-cream is the perfect flavor contrast between the sweet chocolate and salty buttered almonds. It is the ideal balance of savory and sweet, with a nice crunch at the end. I hope you enjoy it as much as Kevin does, maybe it will even become a birthday tradition in your house someday soon!

Uncle Kevin's Chocolate Butter Almond Ice Cream
adapted from Barbara's recipe from an old Procter-Silex Ice Cream Maker Instruction booklet, circa 1982.
2 squares unsweetened chocolate (I use Ghiradelli)
1 1/4 c. whole milk
3/4 c. sugar
1 T. flour
Pinch of Kosher salt
1 egg
1 1/4 c. cream
1/4 t. vanilla

For Buttered Almonds
1/2 c. almonds, roughly chopped (or you can buy pre-sliced almonds)
1 T. butter
Kosher Salt

1. Toast almonds in skillet with butter until almonds are fragrant and toasted, sprinkle salt over almonds to taste. Cool them, then place in the freezer.

2. Bring milk and heavy cream to a boil in a large saucepan. In a microwave melt the chocolate squares and set aside to cool. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg together with the sugar, flour and salt until thick and well mixed. Add chocolate and mix until well incorporated. Once the liquid has come to a boil, lower light, and add a scant half a cup of liquid into the egg mixture to temper the eggs. Gradually add the remaining hot liquid into the egg/sugar mixture, while continuing to stir. Once all liquid has been added, mix well. Pour the incorporated mixture back into the saucepan and cook over a medium low heat, stirring continuously. Do not let mixture come to a boil!

4. Once custard thickens (enough to coat the back of the spoon), remove pan from heat and strain into a heatproof bowl. Mix in vanilla extract. Refrigerate the custard for 4-6 hours, or overnight.

5. Scrape the chilled custard into your ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer’s instructions. By hand, add in the almonds, and mix to incorporate throughout frozen custard. Pack ice cream into a container and freeze for a minimum of 2 hours. Note: if you freeze the ice cream for a night before use, ice cream will be very dense. Remove 10-15 minutes before you wish to serve.