Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Rocky Road Ice Cream



I think chocolate and marshmallow might just be soul mates.  Or maybe more like yin and yang.  Chocolate is the dark, and marshmallow is the light.  Dense and rich belong to chocolate, while marshmallow owns air and fluff.  The pairing of them together in any sort of dessert is a match made in heaven, or maybe more like a perfect dinner date between heaven and hell. 




In any case, I hope none of you missed out on my last post, where I made homemade marshmallows and graham crackers from scratch as my entry in Project Food Blog.  There are photo tutorials, adorable heart-shaped marshmallows, smiling honey bears, and open flames; if none of these are able to convince you that my post is a must read, well then, we might not be able to keep being friends.  (Joking, obviously.  Sort of.)  But seriously, it has been my most viewed post to date, so I hope you are enjoying it!  If you think it is really great, voting is still ongoing for round four of Project Food Blog, so pop on over to my entry on Foodbuzz and show me some love with a little vote.   




But back to my marshmallows.  After coming back from a wonderful camping trip this weekend, my lungs were full of fresh air and my mind was full of ideas for using the extra marshmallows I had made.  For some reason I had my mind set on candied yams with marshmallow topping (you will probably see those pop up here soon...), but then I started having intense, undeniable cravings for chocolate.  Hmm... lets see.  Yams versus chocolate, do we even need to discuss which one wins this battle?  




When I caved and decided I would make dessert, I immediately knew I wanted ice cream.  Call me crazy since cooler weather usually means crisps and pies are suitable for the season; however, fate and my tastebuds led me to ice cream, and ice cream led me to Rocky Road.  Chocolate ice cream, tiny marshmallows, and almonds = the perfect way to use extra marshmallows and get my chocolate fix.




Plus, can I tell you the best part?  No, it isn't that I ate some of this ice cream for dinner today (although that was completely awesome); the best part about making this recipe is that my dark chocolate ice cream base uses two egg yolks!!!  Yeah... I am guessing you can't understand why this is exciting, but let me remind you that you need precisely two egg whites to make homemade marshmallows, which leaves you with two lonely egg yolks that are just begging to get chummy with chocolate in this ice cream.  I am someone who hates wasting food, so of course this tiny fact made my day, and even further cemented my resolve about making ice cream.  


Adding 'mix-ins' (ie. the marshmallows and almonds) through the top of my ice cream maker for the first time was definitely pretty cool.  I especially loved watching the snow white marshmallows get sucked down into the depths of the churning dark chocolate like quicksand.  



Do I need to tell you this ice cream is delicious?  I could tell you that, but for me it is almost old news.  Since first posting my recipe for Dense, Dark Chocolate Ice Cream, I have made several more batches and it never fails to be just the cure for any chocolate craving, no matter how intense.  Turning it into Rocky Road just gives it a facelift and takes it to that in-between-heaven-and-hell place where I can't be sure if ice cream for dinner is naughty or nice.  Lets go with nice for now.






Rocky Road Ice Cream


1 batch of Dense, Dark Chocolate Ice Cream
1 cup of mini marshmallows, if homemade (best!) cut into 1/4-1/2 inch cubes
1/2 cup slivered almonds (add more if you really love nuts)


Make the ice cream first, according to the recipe linked above.  When your chocolate custard mixture is cooled, process in your ice cream maker according to instructions.  During the last five minutes, add in the almonds first, followed by the marshmallows, through the top of your ice cream maker.  Process for a few more minutes, or enough to evenly distribute the marshmallows and almonds.  Transfer to a container, seal, and freeze overnight.  


Alternatively, if you make homemade marshmallows and want Rocky Road Ice Cream without making your own chocolate ice cream, you can purchase chocolate ice cream from the store.  Let it sit at room temperature until it is just soft enough that you can stir it with a spoon without too much force, but not liquidy.  Add the marshmallows and almonds, and stir with a spoon to evenly distribute.  Cover and re-freeze the ice cream until solid.  

49 comments:

  1. Love it! I thought the best of the best had been made when you created that Dense Dark Chocolate ice cream this summer, but this definitely takes it up a notch! I made a batch of Rocky Road cookies last month that look like the cookie version of your ice cream. I'm seeing visions of Rocky Road Cookie n' Ice cream sandwiches :)

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  2. heck yes this is awesome! one of my favorite ice cream flavors i bet tastes even more impressive homemade - it certainly looks delicious. extra points for seeing the ying and yang, and using two eggs completely! genius.

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  3. Oh, that ice cream looks so wonderful. I love that it is completely homemade...including those fabulous marshmallows!

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  4. that ice cream looks devilicious. and like something that could lift me up on a lazy day!

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  5. Rocky Road ice cream is my FAVORITE ice cream ever! I love that you made it with homemade marshmallows, yum!! The ice cream looks incredible. :)

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  6. Best. Ice Cream. Ever. I'm a chocoholic as well, and I love that you got to use your homemade marshamallows for this!

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  7. Amanda this might be my favorite ice cream next to mint chocolate chip! Since you have the ice cream maker could you PLEASE post a recipe for that too? lol :)

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  8. dear lord, save me from this recipe....not - lovely job and I bet wonderful to eat.

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  9. Yuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuum.

    I am currently drooling all over my keyboard.

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  10. What a brilliant way to use up those leftover marshmallows and graham crackers. I love homemade ice cream and these pictures are driving me crazy for some!

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  11. Voted!

    And woooow. I have seriously got to get an ice-cream maker.

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  12. Yet another of your posts that reinforce the fact that I can't let my ice cream maker collect dust any longer. :) Ironically, I don't even like Rocky Road, but I like marshmallows and chocolate ice cream. Weird, eh?

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  13. My favorite ice cream...looks delicious :)
    Already voted, when it opened :)

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  14. Rocky road is my favorite! I bet it's spectacular homemade, especially with homemade marshmallows.

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  15. See, this is why I need an ice cream maker.

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  16. Can I just say you rocked the road with this ice cream??!!! Gorgeous! and love the photos!

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  17. I'm not much of an ice cream fan, but when I do have it you just picked the recipe... my all time favorite! Love those little marshmallows, just adorable!

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  18. The weather may be changing, but I am inspired to make ice cream. Thanks GREG

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  19. This ice cream look so rich and sinful. It's making my mouth water! Such beautiful photos and a wonderful tutorial:)

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  20. Oh wow! This ice cream looks sooo chocolatey and gorgeous! And what a great piece of luck that the whole egg yolk fandango worked out--I love it when that happens!

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  21. The ice cream looks divine. But your photos are just fabulous!!!!!

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  22. It's so cold today, but ice cream still sounds good to me :) Especially this one, yum.

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  23. Heaven. I'm loving that little heart marshmallow! I'm thinking you need to open up a smore and ice cream shop. I'd be your first visitor!

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  24. You've got my mouth watering! Sounds like a very rich ice cream that I would have to hide in the back of the freezer or eat the whole thing while the kids are at school. Thanks for sharing!

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  25. yum!!! this looks unbelievable! hey congrats on moving forward in #pfb2010! you deserve it, you have a fantastic talent!
    keep up the good work! I can't wait to see whats next!
    Leila
    @BarbarianTable

    http://mybarbariantable.blogspot.com

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  26. That ice cream is magnificent! Just addictive.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  27. That ice cream looks SO good! I know how dangerous your ice cream recipes are too, because I made your dark chocolate ice cream for my husbands birthday,and it was WAY too good! Beautiful pics! Keep up the good work!

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  28. Hi Amanda - how beautiful! I love your photos ... I aspire to as many Foodgawker posts as you have!

    I also wanted to let you know that this week I'm highlighting you as my blog of the week on Easy Peasy Organic. I really love reading your posts and getting great food and photo ideas from you. Thanks!
    :)

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  29. Amanda, I'll take one bowl with two scoops please. That looks soooo good! I think you definitely made the right decision for your leftover marshmallows.

    Congrats on making it through round 4! I've been voting for you!

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  30. Ice cream is good for any time of year. I love the deep, intense color of this one. And one day I'll get to crossing marshmallows off my to-do list.

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  31. you scream, I scream we all scream for ice cream!!! wow does that look so good! I was lamenting to my wife that there really aren't any homemade ice cream stores around us....its so sad. I would love to try a wonderful homemade ice cream that had all those flavors in them, like your rocky road! and you know you always have my vote in the FB challenge!

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  32. This looks HEAVENLY!!!!! Of course I loved your posting on making marshmallows and OMG this ice cream using those very marshmallows is to die for!

    Best,
    Veronica

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  33. Talking about a sinfully delicious dessert !!! Looks amazing

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  34. How exactly am I supposed to curb my drooling over this post. Sensational!

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  35. Truly truly chocolate and marshmallows is a match made in heaven and I am always begging my friends in the US to ship me chocolate covered marshmallow anything! And rocky road is the best! But look at you! Homemade marshmallows, grahams crackers and ice cream! I am more than impressed. And so okay with eating this for dinner.

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    I am always begging my friends in the US to ship me chocolate covered marshmallow anything.

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