Guinness milk-chocolate ice cream

It's getting hot in Chicago!!! Which means I'm finally craving ice cream.

Typically, ice cream is all I want to eat 97.46% of the time during the summer. But this year the weather has been so mild, downright cool some days. Which is great if you don't want to feel like a puddle of mush in the extreme hot and humidity. But it sucks as far as ice-cream craving days are concerned.

And then...GASP...we start having some warm days again. At the end of August. And my craving rushes back! Luckily for me I have an ice cream maker and The Perfect Scoop--an incredible ice cream "cook"book. And I can flip through it and be completely inspired by the unique and delicious flavor combinations. Like the ice cream here.

You see, this ice cream may look all innocent, and you may think it's simply a bowl of chocolate ice cream. But do not be fooled. Although milk chocolate is a main ingredient in this ice cream, Guinness is in there too. Yes, Guinness as in the stout beer.

Now before you think I'm crazy, let me tell you that this ice cream is DELICIOUS! The beer just works, and I don't really know what else to say about it. Yes, you can taste the beer, but surprisingly it's not overpowering. It has just a hint of that unique stout flavor that compliments the creamy chocolate perfectly. (Hey, if Guinness works in chocolate cake, why not chocolate ice cream?) Plus, the alcohol helps keep this ice cream really soft and creamy!

And for those of you who know me well (team dark chocolate all the way!) you may be wondering what I thought about the milk chocolate in this ice cream. I'll be honest, I was tempted to swap it out for semi-sweet chocolate. But I'm so happy I didn't. Milk chocolate was the perfect flavor in this ice cream, and it's creaminess really helped keep the ice cream smooth. Plus, it wasn't too sweet!

So next time you've got a hankering for ice cream, why not open a cold bottle of stout, take a sip, and use the rest to satisfy your craving?

Yours in being inspired by unique flavors,
Jacqueline

Guinness-Milk Chocolate Ice Cream, from Perfect Scoop
makes about one quart

Ingredients
7 ounces (205 g) milk chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup (100 g) sugar
pinch of salt
4 large egg yolks
1 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup Guinness Stout (or a porter)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Place the chopped chocolate into a large bowl and set a mesh strainer over the top. Set aside.
2. Warm the milk, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan. In a separate medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks. Temper the egg yolks by slowly pouring the warmed milk mixture into the egg yolks and whisking constantly. Then pour the tempered yolks back into the saucepan.
3. Cook the mixture over medium heat with a heatproof spatula or wooden spoon, making sure to stir the mixture constantly to avoid cooking the eggs. Cook the custard until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of your spatula/wooden spoon.
4. Pour the custard through the strainer over the milk chocolate, then stir until the chocolate is melted. When smooth, whisk in the cream first, then Guinness and vanilla. Stir until cool over an ice bath.
5. Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator for at least a few hours (overnight is preferred). Freeze in your ice cream maker according to the instructions. Transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze for a few hours to harden.