Orangette

Inspired by one of our favorite little french candies. Choose how dark you want the chocolate (I used 70%); this isn't meant to be a sugar bomb, folks. Do the work and candy your own orange peel and I promise you'll feel extra fancy and crafty.

Ingredients

    2 cupsHeavy cream

    1 cupWhole milk

    ⅝ cupSugar

    1 pinchSalt

    5Egg yolks

    5ozDark chocolate

    2 tbspCacao powder

    4Oranges

    2 cupsWater

    1 cupSugar

    1 tbspLight corn syrup

    1 pinchSalt

Directions

  1. To make the candied citrus peel cut strips of peel lengthwise about a half inch wide from the oranges. Remove as much of the pith (white stuff) as you can.
  2. Put the peel strips in a sauacepan and add enough water to cover them by a few inches. Bring it to a boil. Then reduce to a simmer and boil for 15 minutes.
  3. Remove them from the heat, rinse with cold water, and then repeat this blanching step again (i.e. boil for another 15 mintues).
  4. Combine the 2 cups water, sugar, corn syrup, and salt in the saucepan. Bring it to a boil, and add the blanched pieces of peel.
  5. Let it simmer gently until it has reduced down to a syrup (about 20 minutes). Then let it cool in the syrup so it comes together more.
  6. Prepare the dark chocolate by chopping it into rough chunks
  7. Prepare a large bowl filled with ice water with a smaller bowl sitting in the water. This will be used to cool the cooked custard later.
  8. Whisk together the heavy cream and cacao powder in a medium saucepan and heat over low to medium heat.
  9. Remove it from the heat and add the chopped dark chocolate, stirring until it's smooth. Put this into the bowl you'll use to chill the custard in the fridge later.
  10. Heat up the milk, sugar, and salt in the same saucepan (no need to be fussy and clean it beforehand, it's all going to be chocolate-y anyway).
  11. Whisk together the egg yolks in a separate bowl. Once steam is coming off of the heated milk mixture in the saucepan, pour a splash into the egg mixture while whisking it continuously.
  12. Continue to add small amounts of the hot liquid to the eggs while whisking until you've added all of it into the separate bowl.
  13. Pour the combined mixture back into the saucepan and set over low to medium heat. Stir continuously with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon.
  14. After stirring for several minutes the custard will start to thicken. Once you can pick up the spatula or spoon and the custard sticks to it, hold it horizontally and run your finger through the custard. If it leaves a trail that stays, your custard is ready.
  15. Take it off the heat and strain the custard into the bowl of chocolate cream. Set it over the ice bath. Stir for about 5 minutes until the custard has stopped cooking.
  16. Place the custard in an airtight container and let the it cool completely in the fridge (this is important people!) for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight.
  17. Before churning the ice cream, cut the candied orange peel into bite sized chunks (however big you want them. About chocolate chip sized worked for me)
  18. Once the custard is ready, churn it according to your ice cream maker's instructions until it's the consistency of soft servce. About 5 minutes before the churning is done, add the pieces of candied orange peel to the mixture. You can eat it right away for a softer texture, or freeze it for later.
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