More Ice Cream, Please!

Since I had a lot of fat-free half-and-half to use up, I decided to make some more ice cream. Next up was some chocolate.

Triple Chocolate Ice Cream

1 1/3 c sugar (I used Splenda)
1/3 c unsweetened cocoa
2 1/2 c 2% milk, divided
3 large egg yolks
1/2 c half-and-half (I used fat-free)
2 1/2 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped coarsely
3 t espresso powder dissolved in 2 T hot water
1/3 c semi-sweet chocolate chips, finely crushed

Combine sugar and cocoa in a medium, heavy saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in 1/2 c milk and egg yolks. Stir in remaining 2 cups milk. Cook 12 minutes or until a thermometer registers 160˚, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
Place half and half in a microwave-safe dish, microwave at HIGH 1 1/2 minutes or until half-and-half boils. Add chocolate to half-and-half; stir until smooth. Stir in espresso mixture. Add half-and-half mixture to pan; stir until smooth. Place pan in an ice-filled bowl. Cool completely, stirring occasionally. Freeze according to manufacturer's directions. Freeze in freezer additional 1 hour before serving.

This ice cream hardened considerably once it was in the freezer, and I think it was because of the Splenda. But the rich chocolate flavor really hid the Splenda flavor, making this a pretty good low-sugar dessert.

Fresh Peach Ice Cream

3 large, ripe peaches, peeled and finely diced
1/3 c sugar (I used half sugar and half Splenda)
3 T lemon juice
1 c whole milk, well chilled
3/4 c granulated sugar (I used 1/2 c Splenda and 1/4 c sugar)
2 c fat-free half-and-half, well chilled
2 t pure vanilla extract

Combine peaches with sugar and lemon juice and let macerate for 2 hours. Place mixture in a colander, and drain over a large bowl, stirring to mash peaches coarsely. Set peaches aside. Add milk, sugar, half-and-half and vanilla to accumulated peach juices, and stir with a whisk until sugar is dissolved. Turn ice cream machine on, pour mixture into freezer bowl, and let mix about 20 minutes. Add reserved peaches through ingredients spout and let mix another 5 minutes. Transfer ice cream to a freezer-safe container and place in freezer 2 hours before serving.

food & drink