Cocoa Nib Ice Cream
Cocoa nibs are nothing more than pieces of roasted cocoa beans, the basic building blocks of chocolate. They’re slightly bitter, with an intense flavor that can vary greatly depending on their origin. While you can taste a hint of the chocolate they can become, they really have a unique and incomparable flavor of their own.
I was thrilled when I came across this recipe in Bittersweet: Recipes and Tales from a Life in Chocolate
This is easily one of the best ice cream flavors I have ever tasted. To give you some perspective, my other favorites are jasmine ginger, chocolate pomegranate, honey saffron, and raspberry rum cayenne chocolate chip fudge brownie. The exquisite simplicity of this cocoa nib ice cream matches and perhaps beats them all.
Cocoa Nib Ice Cream
1 1/2 C heavy cream
1 1/2 C whole milk
1/4 C cocoa nibs, finely chopped
1/2 C sugar
1/8 tsp salt
Additional cocoa nibs, to be used as a topping
Bring all ingredients (except those nibs which are to sprinked on as a topping later) to boil over medium heat. Remove from heat, cover, and let steep for about 20 minutes. After the mixture has had a chance to steep, strain it through a fine strainer and/or cheesecloth, making sure to squeeze all the liquid out of the cocoa nibs, which are then discarded. Refrigerate and then freeze in your ice cream maker.
When serving, sprinkle on some extra, unsteeped cocoa nibs on as a topping. The contrasting texture and concentrated bursts of flavor perfect the experience.
March 13th, 2006 at 10:25 am
Good lord that sounds good. I reviewed SweetRiot Cacao Nibs
not too long ago and they were fantastic. I LOVE ice cream too -
I can imagine this is wonderful!
Brian
http://candyaddict.com
March 13th, 2006 at 6:10 pm
Brian, you should try Lillie Rocks - they’re these delicious spice and cocooa powder coated cocoa nibs. I picked some up at the Chocolate Show a few months back and I love them.
March 13th, 2006 at 9:32 pm
Ooh, I have this beautiful book and, though I love ice cream, have never tried this recipe. How wonderful to know it’s a success. Sounds splendid!
March 13th, 2006 at 11:06 pm
Danielle, this looks superb. I’m going to dust off my ice-cream maker just for this!
March 14th, 2006 at 1:54 am
where do you get cocoa nibs? are they freakishly expensive?
my most recent exciting food discovery: olive oil gelato.
March 14th, 2006 at 7:07 am
They’re not freakishly expensive, and you can get them in most gourmet stores or order them online. I bought these at Garden of Eden on Montague St. in Brooklyn Heights, but I’ve been thinking of ordering my nibs from Chocolate Alchemy in the future, since I want to compare the tastes of the different types of nibs they have.
March 15th, 2006 at 9:38 pm
My decision to buy an ice cream maker has only been reaffirmed by this post. Wonderful … and I have “Bittersweet” which is a lovely book. Great post!
March 16th, 2006 at 4:46 pm
awesome! i will add this to the long, long, long list of ice creams i want to try.
March 16th, 2006 at 6:55 pm
Oh my this sounds wonderful! I am totally making this next time I haul out the ice cream maker.
March 17th, 2006 at 8:02 pm
Danielle, this looks so good, I’ll definitely try it. I didn’t even know the recipe was in the book :)
June 17th, 2006 at 3:42 am
This is my first visit to your website and I have been taken aback by the beauty of it.Congratulations for the fabulous work.
June 14th, 2007 at 1:20 pm
Ooh! Thanks for the recipe! I’m definitely trying this.