(Photos by Rosie Hawthorne)
By Rosie Hawthorne
It’s time for one last Summer hurrah and I have a refreshing, mouth-wateringly delectable ice cream treat for you. Cool mint and rich chocolate – a satisfying pair if there ever was one – combine in a frozen mint-flavored ice cream square with a crackly chocolate coating. It’s a classic flavor coupling and simple perfection.
Note that making these ice cream squares is a two-day process because the mint needs to cold-steep overnight. Cold steeping infuses the mint flavor in the cream and results in a smoother, fresher taste. Heating such a mixture, particularly in the case of fresh herbs, can alter the flavor of whatever ingredients you’re steeping, generally making it bitter, so take the time to let the mint flavor naturally infuse into the cream overnight. The resulting flavor has more depth and is fresher, cleaner, grassier, and more rounded than the full-on assault of a mint extract which reminds me of toothpaste and can often be a nuclear green color. Bottom line – I prefer natural flavors.
