Mint Chip Ice Cream

In a medium pot, bring milk, heavy cream and mint leaves to a rolling boil. Remove pot from heat, cover and allow mint leaves to steep for 30 minutes.

Whisk egg yolks with half the sugar in a small bowl.

Return pot to the stove and warm up the milk mixture along with the remainder of the sugar. Remove the pan from heat and slowly pour a small stream of milk into the small bowl with the egg yolks while whisking to temper the eggs, approximately 1/2 cup of warm milk. Once the egg yolks have been tempered, slowly pour them into the saucepan and stir to combine. Place the saucepan back on the stove over medium heat and stir with a wooden spoon until the base covers the back of the spoon or the base reaches a temperature of 180 degrees F.

Prepare an ice bath in a bowl big enough to contain a medium bowl with the ice cream base. Place a fine mesh strainer placed over the top of a medium bowl. Strain ice cream base into the prepared bowl. Add food coloring, if using, and mint extract. Stir to combine. Place bowl into the ice bath and stir occasionally until ice cream base has cooled to room temperature. Transfer to the refrigerator for 4 hours, preferably overnight.

Remove ice cream base from refrigerator, pour into your ice cream maker and churn following the manufacturer’s instructions. Approximately 5 minutes before ice cream is done, add finely chopped chocolate mint curls.

Transfer ice cream into an airtight container and freeze for an additional 4 hours.

Makes about 1.5 quarts.