raspberry swirl and brownie ice cream

By tulawdog

Ingredients

• Ice Cream
• 1 cup (250 ml) whole milk
• 2/3 cup (130 g) sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 cups (375 ml) heavy cream
• 5 egg yolks
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 to 2 cups brownie pieces (optional)
• Raspberry Swirl
• Brownies
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 4 oz semisweet chocolate, cut into small pieces
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
• Raspberry Swirl
• 1 1/2 cups (160 g) raspberries, fresh or frozen
• 3 tablespoons (45 g) sugar
• 1 tablespoons vodka

Preparation

Step 1

Make the ice cream:

Warm the milk, sugar and salt in a medium saucepan (preferably a saucier if you have one).
Pour the cream into a large bowl and set a mesh strainer over the top. Place this bowl inside an ice bath (a larger bowl with ice and water).
In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm milk into the egg yolks in ¼ cup installments, whisking constantly. This will gradually temper the egg mixture (raise the temperature) so you don’t end up with scrambled eggs. Pour the warm egg/milk mixture back into the saucepan.
Heat the mixture over medium heat stirring constantly with a heatproof spatula, making sure that you are scraping the sides and bottom of the pan. If you don’t have a saucier, don’t forget the corners where the bottom and the sides of the pan meet! Heat the mixture until it has thickened and begins to steam. The custard should coat the back of your spatula and leave a defined streak if you run your finger across it. If you want to be extra sure you’ve got it at the right spot, check with an instant read thermometer, which should read between 170-175 degrees Fahrenheit.
Immediately pour the warm custard through the strainer into the cream and add the vanilla extract (I always add a little extra). Stir frequently to help it cool quickly.
Once the custard is cool, cover it leaving the lid ajar, and chill thoroughly in the fridge (at least 8 hours).
Once the custard has chilled, freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Make the brownies:

Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Line an 8-inch square pan with a long sheet of aluminum foil that covers the bottom and reaches up the sides (use a second sheet placed perpendicularly to the first if necessary to cover all sides of the pan). Grease the bottom and sides of the foil with butter or nonstick spray (the latter being the much easier choice of course).
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the unsweetened chocolate pieces and stir constantly with a whisk over very low heat until the chocolate is melted.
Remove the chocolate-butter mixture from the heat and stir in the sugar, then the eggs one at a time, and the vanilla. Stir in the flour and the salt. Beat the batter vigorously for 30 seconds, until it begins to form a smooth ball. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and bake for about 30 minutes, until the center feels just about set. Remove from the oven and let cool. To mix brownies into ice cream, chop or crumble them into bite-sized pieces, about 1/2 inch square pieces (if you want a more pristine vanilla ice cream you’d probably be better off chopping the brownies. We crumbled them and had lots of little tiny crumbs that are peppered throughout the ice cream).

Make the raspberry swirl:

An hour before churning the ice cream, prepare the raspberry swirl. Mash the raspberries together with the sugar and the vodka with a fork, leaving some raspberry pieces intact. Chill in the fridge for an hour.

Put it all together:

When your ice cream is done churning, fold in your brownie crumbles (if using). Then, as you are putting the ice cream into the container that you’re going to store it in, layer it with spoonfuls of the raspberry mixture. DO NOT STIR. Throw it in the freezer for a couple of hours to harden up a bit and enjoy!