Roasted Strawberry and Chocolate Ice Cream

To make the ice cream base, in a medium saucepan over medium high heat, whisk together 1/3 cup of the cream and the cocoa powder until the cocoa powder is dissolved. Bring it to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium low and let boil for 30 seconds, whisking constantly. Remove from the heat and whisk in the semisweet chocolate until melted and smooth. Stir in the remaining 1/3 cup of cream and pour into a medium-sized bowl. Place a fine mesh strainer over the bowl.

In the same pan, mix together the milk, sugar, brown sugar, and salt over medium high heat. Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks together. When the milk mixture is warm, slowly pour 2/3 of it into the egg yolks, whisking constantly. Then pour the egg yolk mixture back into the pan while stirring. Continue to heat it over medium high heat, stirring with a spoon, until the mixture has thickened and coats the back of the spoon. Do not let it boil. Once it has thickened, remove it from heat and pour it through the fine mesh strainer into the chocolate mixture. Stir together and add in the vanilla extract. Once everything is incorporated, cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator. Once completely chilled, churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Makes about 2 cups.

While the ice cream base is chilling:
To make the roasted strawberries, preheat your oven to 400ºF.

Place your cut berries on a sheet pan, combine the hot water and sugar, and pour on top of the berries. Cook them in the oven for 10-15 minutes until softened. Let them cool, and add them to your ice cream during the last few minutes of churning.

Store your ice cream in an airtight container in the freezer until ready to serve.

Adapted from David Lebovitz’s The Perfect Scoop.