Mastic Ice Cream With Dark Chocolate

Slofoodgroup Team August 17, 2022

Mastiha Ice Cream with Chocolate Twigs

Mastic – or “mastiha” – is the air-dried, resinous sap from the Pistacia Lentiscus tree, which grows on the southern shores of Chios in Eastern Greece. Mastic’s claim to fame is as the world’s first chewing gum!

Mastic has a unique taste that’s difficult to describe – it has a mild, “piney” flavor reminiscent of the experience of eating foods infused with other woodsy herbs such as lavender. It lends a subtle but distinctive note to this no-churn ice cream, which melds beautifully with the layers of melted chocolate. The chocolate drizzle hardens as the ice cream freezes, and breaks into shards as it is scooped These chocolate “twigs” are a nod to the mastic; we think it tastes delicious too!

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Dark Chocolate Mastic Ice Cream

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon mastic
• 1 cup good quality bittersweet chocolate chips or chopped chocolate
• 2 tablespoons refined coconut oil
• 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• 2 cups well-chilled heavy cream

Procedure

1. Place the mastic in a small bowl and freeze for 30 minutes.

2. Melt the chocolate chips and coconut oil in the top half of a double boiler, set over barely simmering water. Remove from heat and transfer to a measuring cup.

3. After 30 minutes pour the sweetened condensed milk into a large bowl. Remove 1/4 cup and place it in a small saucepan. Remove the mastic from the freezer and grind it until fine, either using a mortar and pestle, in a food processor, or in a ziplock bag (using a rolling pin to crush).

4. Heat the milk until tiny bubbles appear. Then, turn off the heat and pour in the ground mastic. Whisk until dissolved.

5. Pour the mixture through a strainer into the bowl with the rest of the condensed milk, then stir to combine (discard the solids that remain in the strainer).

6. Place the heavy cream into the bowl of a mixer and, using the whisk attachment, whip the cream just until stiff peaks form. Fold a bit of the cream into the condensed milk to lighten it a bit

7. Add the remaining whipped cream in 2 – 3 additions, folding until combined.

8. Pour one-third of the mixture into a large bowl or baking pan, smoothing to level. Drizzle one-third of the chocolate mixture over. Repeat 2 more times, ending with the chocolate mixture, and freeze overnight.