Dark Chocolate and Roasted Beet Ice Cream

 

This is another recipe from Babka, Boulou & Blintzes – Jewish Chocolate Recipes from Around the World. It was intriguing to me, and somewhat up my alley, so I ended up trying it. 

The original recipe called for mint, but since I don’t like mixing that with chocolate, I omitted it. The original recipe also called for straining the beet purée so as to obtain a small amount of liquid, but I knew this would not make for a good ice cream consistency, so I just used the purée as is. 

In the end, this was a bit blander and had a harder consistency than I expected, and I’m not sure I’d make it again, but I’m glad I tried it. 

9 oz (250 g) whole raw beets, scrubbed (about 3 medium) 

½ cup + 2 Tbsp. lactose-free milk, divided 

½ cup lactose-free cream or substitute 

2 large egg yolks 

¼ cup granulated sugar 

2 oz (55 g) dark chocolate, chopped 

Preheat oven to 400 °F. Wrap the beets individually in foil and place them on a baking sheet. Roast for 40-60 minutes or until they are fork-tender. Let cool. 

When the beets are cool enough to handle, peel them, quarter them, and place them into a blender with 2 tablespoons of the milk; blend until smooth. Set aside. 

In a small saucepan, over low heat, combine the remaining milk and the cream. 

Meanwhile, in a small heatproof bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until light in color, then set aside. 

Slowly pour a few tablespoons of the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture, whisking continuously, then pour the egg mixture back into the pan of hot milk mixture, again whisking continuously. Increase the heat to medium-low and stir continuously until it thickens and turns a pale yellow, about 10 minutes (do not let the custard boil). Once it has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon, remove from the heat and pour into a medium heatproof bowl to cool slightly. 

 

Meanwhile, melt the chocolate in a double-boiler. Let cool slightly, then stir into the custard. Then, stir in the beet purée. Chill, at least a few hours and up to overnight. 

Churn the ice cream base in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Store the finished ice cream in the freezer, but consider placing it in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes before serving, to soften it a bit.