Tin Roof Ice Cream

Hello! I hope everyone had a really lovely weekend, and happy Wednesday!  The weekend is just around the corner, and although I don't certainly don't have exciting plans for this weekend (I don't think anything can top Governor's Ball, which was too amazing), I do hope to spend some quality time in the kitchen with my oven, and maybe my ice cream maker.  I can't say I've fully decided what baking project I want to tackle this weekend, but I'm just hoping that it can come close to being as delicious as this ice cream right here.  This, is Tin Roof Ice Cream.

Tin Roof Ice Cream is officially one of my all new favorite ice creams.  If you're like me, you've probably never heard of tin roof ice cream, but once you read the ingredients, you'll know that it's a something you'll want to eat again and again.  Tin roof ice cream is incredibly simple- it's just a sweet, vanilla ice cream base, a swirl of fudge ripple, and lots and lots of chocolate-covered peanuts mixed in.  Simple, basic ingredients get combined together into an ice cream that is beyond words delicious. 

While this ice cream sounds slightly complicated because it has two distinct mix-in's that you need to prepare, I promise you that they're anything but complicated to make.  The fudge ripple and chocolate-covered peanuts take no more than five minutes each to make, and since you have to let the ice cream custard chill in the fridge for several hours before beginning to churn it, I'm sure you'll have plenty of time to make them!  The fudge ripple is super straight forward, and all you have to do is whisk the ingredients together over medium heat until they form a smooth sauce.  The peanuts are even simpler.  You simply melt some chocolate in your microwave, throw in some unsalted peanuts, and stir.  The peanuts get poured onto a plate and are left in the fridge to chill for a bit and then get chopped up into small pieces.  Both mix-in's can be prepared in advance and then left in the fridge to be mixed in at the very last minute.  

I'm not sure what I liked most about this ice cream, because everything was just perfect.  The creamy vanilla base, the smooth and rich fudge ripple, or the deliciously crunchy chocolate covered peanuts.  Actually, I'm lying. The peanuts were definitely my favorite part, and they're the most dangerous component of this ice cream. You won't need to use all the peanuts that the recipe yields (but if you do decide to use them all, then who am I to judge?), so you'll have to save the rest in an airtight container in the fridge, and well...you'll know what happens after that. I certainly couldn't help sneaking a handful of chocolate covered peanuts every time I walked past my fridge, similar to how I couldn't help but sneak a spoonful of tin roof ice cream every time I walked past my freezer. I'm telling you, this stuff is gooood...just ask my mom, she was as crazy about this ice cream (and the chocolate covered peanuts) as I was!

I absolutely loved everything about this ice cream, really.  I don't know what's been getting into me lately, but I've somehow been craving non-chocolate ice creams.  It used to be that my favorite ice creams had to have a chocolate base, but recently, it just hasn't been the case.  Pistachio is becoming a big favorite of mine, and I've had the most ridiculous craving for vanilla soft serve for weeks now (I'm dreaming of a Big Gay cone right now, but I'll settle for Mr. Softee too!).  I even made a Vanilla Bean Ice Cream a few posts ago that I know I will be making all summer long.  This ice cream, however, with its rich fudge ripple swirl and crunchy chocolate covered peanuts had just the right amount of chocolate mixed with vanilla to make me start craving chocolate once again.  I'm sure that my next ice cream will be overloaded with chocolate, but for now, this Tin Roof Ice Cream hits just the right spot.  It's rich and creamy, and is the perfect compromise for those times when you just can't decide if you want vanilla or chocolate.  Enjoy!

Tin Roof Ice Cream

recipe adapted slightly from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz

Ingredients

For the Ice Cream

3/4 cup whole milk

3/4 cup granulated sugar

pinch of salt

1 1/2 cups heavy cream 

4 large egg yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Fudge Ripple

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup light corn syrup

1/2 cup water

6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Chocolate Covered Peanuts

5 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

1 heaping cup unsalted peanuts (or salted, if you prefer!)

Directions

Begin by preparing the ice cream custard.  In a saucepan, warm the milk, sugar, salt, and 1/2 cup of heavy cream over medium heat until just warm, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar.  Pour the remaining cream into a large bowl and set a fine-mesh strainer on top.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks.  Begin to add the warm cream mixture to the egg yolks in a very steady and gradual stream, making sure to whisk the eggs constantly.  You must add the warm cream slowly to prevent the egg yolks from scrambling!  Once all of the warm cream mixture has been added, return the mixture back to the saucepan. 

 Place the mixture back over medium heat and stir constantly with a wooden spoon, scraping along the bottom of the saucepan as you stir.  Heat the custard until it thickens and coats the back of the spoon. You'll know the custard is ready if you can draw a line across the back of the spoon and the custard won't run over the line.  Pour the custard through the strainer into the milk, and stir to cool.  Stir in the vanilla extract and place the bowl of custard into an ice bath.  Stir the custard until it has cooled to room temperature.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill thoroughly in the refrigerator (overnight is ideal).

While the custard is chilling, prepare the fudge ripple and chocolate covered peanuts. To make the fudge ripple, whisk together the sugar, corn syrup, water, and cocoa powder in a medium saucepan.  Heat over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture begins to bubble around the edges.  Once the mixture reaches a low boil, heat the mixture for one more minute, making sure to stir frequently. Remove from the heat, stir in the vanilla extract and let cool to room temperature before chilling in the refrigerator. 

To prepare the chocolate covered peanuts, melt the chocolate over a double boiler or in the microwave.  If using the microwave, heat the chocolate in thirty second intervals, making sure to stir in between.  Once the chocolate has melted, stir in the peanuts, coating them with the chocolate. Cover a dinner plate with plastic wrap, and pour the peanuts onto the prepared plate.  Chill in the fridge until the chocolate sets, and then chop into bite size pieces.  The peanuts can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to use. 

When you're ready to churn the ice cream, pour the chilled custard into your ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer's instructions. When the ice cream has finished churning, fold in the chocolate covered peanuts, about 3/4 cup to 1 cup total.  As you remove it from the machine to transfer it into a freezer safe container, layer in the fudge ripple.  Try not to swirl it in, as it will make the ice cream muddy; drizzle the ripple over the ice cream instead.  Place the ice cream in the freezer for several hours so that it hardens.  Enjoy!

Makes just under 1 quart ice cream