Chocolate Orange Ice Cream

Instructions

1. Combine whole milk, heavy cream, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, orange zest, and the scraped seeds plus pod of the vanilla bean in a medium saucepan. Warm over medium heat, stirring often, until sugar dissolves and mixture is hot but not boiling, about 8 minutes.
2. Remove from heat and let the mixture steep for 15 minutes to infuse the orange and vanilla flavors.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks until smooth.
4. Slowly ladle about 1 cup of the warm chocolate-orange milk mixture into the egg yolks while whisking constantly to temper. Gradually whisk the tempered yolks back into the saucepan with the remaining milk mixture.
5. Return the saucepan to medium-low heat and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or heat-safe spatula, scraping the bottom to avoid curdling, until the custard thickens and coats the back of the spoon, reaching 170-175°F (77-79°C).
6. Strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl to remove zest, vanilla pod, and any cooked egg bits.
7. Stir in fine sea salt. Let cool to room temperature.
8. Cover and refrigerate the custard base at least 4 hours or overnight until thoroughly chilled.
9. Churn the chilled custard in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions, usually 20-30 minutes, until it reaches a soft-serve consistency.
10. Transfer the ice cream into an airtight container and freeze for at least 2 hours to firm up before serving.