mexican chocolate ice cream

chop the chocolate discs finely. 

throw cinnamon, chocolate, sugar and salt into saucepan, pour in milk warm until well dissolved.

churn for 20-25 minutes, put in lidded container and freeze.

The botanical name for chocolate is theobroma, which translates to "food of the gods". This name is very appropriate for the importance of chocolate in the Mexican culture. Chocolate is one of the many things the Spaniards stole (ok "acquired") from the Aztec culture. My beloved Aztec people would often make a variety of drinks made of chocolate and often combined with spices, seeds, nuts and honey. This chocolate drink was often used in rituals and ceremonies and only consumed by important figures like priests and noblemen. Aztecs adopted this drink and it's traditions from their earlier Mayan culture. 


Well, enough with the tidbit of knowledge there, I get carried away and get all Mexicana on everyone. Yes, I grew up drinking mexican hot chocolate, mostly the Ibarra brand as my mom always said it was the more authentic one but the Abuelita brand worked as well, it was just second best. I've since tried other more refined(and costly) brands of mexican chocolate most of them being incredibly rich and smooth, but the grainy, ultra cinnamon-y kind is still my favorite. Anyhow, never in my wildest dreams as a kid, did I imagine making mexican chocolate ice cream. So glad I turned into the adventurous, inquisitive adult I'm capable of being, mostly when it comes to food. Get your ice cream makers out, here's the recipe...


what you need:


2 1/2 discs of mexican chocolate
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon of salt
3 cups of whole milk  


what to do:


Chop up the chocolate discs as finely as possible and put this into a saucepan, with the cinnamon, sugar, and salt. Put the milk in and warm until everything is well dissolved, whisk while you warm it all up. Then strain the chocolate liquid to remove and solids and let it cool. Put the mixture into the fridge for about 4 hours or overnight.


You then bust out your ice cream maker and churn your chocolate mix for about 20-25 minutes and then transfer to a lidded container to freeze solid. Y eso es todo! Scoop into bowls and enjoy!