Foodmanna: Mint chocolate chip ice cream

Christmas is here in just a few days and there's nothing that beats the magic of this holiday. The key to this jolly season is all about indulgence. If you're anything like me, I am indulging more than I should. We can worry about the extra pound later. It goes on the New Year's resolution list every year anyway. Doesn't it always? And we have another 12 months ahead to resolve that extra pound issue.

As we rush off to bake the last batch of cookies and endless hours of prepping in the kitchen. Prepping for the big meal can be sometimes overwhelming but for now, what matters most are the priceless laughters and joy of sharing meals over the dinner table. My table is a happy place and I like it that way.

Words will be few here. Just stopping by to write you this mint chocolate chip ice cream for the dinner dessert before hitting back into the kitchen again. And also to wish you all a wonderful Merry Christmas! See you all again next year.

Heat the milk, milk powder, salt, and sugar in a saucepan (The reason there's milk powder is to stabilize the ice cream). Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the milk with a paring knife, then add the bean pod to the milk. Cover, remove from heat, and infuse for one hour. You can use vanilla extract too. If so, go to the next step after the sugar is all melted.

Heat the milk again, In a separate bowl, stir together the egg yolks. Then gradually pour some of the milk into the yolks, whisking constantly as you pour. Scrape the warmed yolks and milk back into the saucepan. This is tempering the milk so that your custard will not scramble.

Cook over low heat, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom with a heat-resistant spatula, until the custard thickens enough to coat the spatula. Strain the custard and leave until cool and refrigerated overnight to chill or chill immediately in an ice bath.

In a blender, whizz the mint leaves with the cream. You will be proud of the natural pale green color. Mix in the custard. Pour the mixture into ice cream machine and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

While the ice-cream is churning, break the chocolate block into pieces. Melt the dark chocolate on a heatproof bowl set onto of a pot of simmering water. Gentle heat and stirring is the trick.

Then about 5 minutes before it's ready, drizzle in the mint chocolate into the ice-cream and let it churn until set. Transfer to ice cream tub and freeze until firm. Wahlah! Serve with crushed candy cane on top.