In addition to making maple syrup and building maple syrup making machines I also make ice cream in the summer. Two summers ago I started making Aztec Chocolate Ice Cream. It is a cooked custard ice cream that includes cocoa, cinnamon, cayenne powder, and candied ginger. It starts cold, rich, and chocolate then burns your face off.

I love the stuff.

My wife won't go near it.

Here is the recipe as a couple of people have asked for it.

MapleEngineer Aztec Chocolate Ice Cream

See NOTE at the end.

500 ml (2 c) 35% (whipping) cream

1 L (4 c) 10% (table) cream

1 c (85 g) Dutch process cocoa powder

1 1/2 c (180 g) sugar

1 T (15 ml) vanilla (I use really good Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla in bourbon)

1/8 t (6 g) salt

1 1/2 t (2.7 g) ground cayenne

1 1/2 t (4 g) ground cinnamon

1/2 t (1.4 g) ground ginger

I put the 10% cream, sugar, vanilla, and cocoa powder in a pot and heat it slowly to a simmer whisking slowly but constantly until the sugar is dissolved. Then I add the spices and salt and whisk slowly until well incorporated. Once everything is smooth I remove the pot from the heat, whisk in the heavy cream, put it in a container, and stick it in the friged, preferably overnight, to cool thoroughly.

Once it's cool make it into ice cream.

This recipe produces what I think it a very nice, VERY rich (18% MF) chocolate ice cream with a nice burn.

NOTE: As a typical Canadian who grew up during the transition from Imperial to Metric measurements I still cook in Imperial units. Well...sort of. I measure the cream in Liters but everything else in t, T, and c. So, I've put the units that I use first with my best shot at converting them second. Be aware that I may have made a terrible mistake. I recommend measuring as I do. If anyone wants to correct these measurements I will update the recipe here.