It has chocolate and it has orange, the combination has always been one of my favourites. I have never really had an ice cream with this combination. I had recently bought Strawberry and Orange essences and I had no idea what I could make with it. I have always been fond of a dark chocolate ganaché tart, with a spoon of orange marmalade. I am unfortunately out of orange jam. So I decided to candy an orange. I went to the shop next to my house and there was only 1 orange left, so I had to manage with it. The recipes I read online were good, but they all asked for multiple oranges! So I modified one! It takes time mind you, I wanted to make this ice cream a little fancier than the other ice creams I had made.

 

Steps for making the candied orange zest-

• Zest the orange, do not go as deep as the rind (white part that you remove before eating an orange)
• Cut them into strips.
• Take a thick bottomed sauce pan, turn it on and add 1.5 cup of water and add the 1 cup of sugar, keep it on high heat, stirring it continuously till the sugar dissolves completely
• Add the orange zest to this
• Bring it to a boil for about 6-8 minutes
• Simmer it for around 25-30 minutes. The water would have reduced significantly by now. Ideally use a pan that has a lid, it happens quicker on this. The zest will be transparent when done!
• Line a plate with baking sheet, take the candied orange zest and separate them, add the 2 tablespoons of sugar over them. Keep them on a counter to cool down. It becomes really crunchy!
• Do not throw the orange tasting sugar syrup, you can use this on toast or on a roti or with some fruits. Store it in the freezer overnight and use it the next day morning. My father called this orange honey! It really is sweet and tasty.

 

Steps for making the ice cream-

• Keep the cream and condensed milk in the fridge till the second you use it. Overnight ideally, it is summer!
• Mix the orange essence with the condensed milk in a different bowl, sift cocoa powder into this and mix well.
• Whip the cream in a cooled bowl, you need 2 bowls for this. In the first bowl keep 1 ice pack, over this keep a second bowl (the bowl in which you’re going to whip your cream) and another ice pack inside this as well, 2 bowls and 2 ice packs. This will take only about 15 minutes or so. Remove the ice pack from the bowl you are mixing it in (obviously).
• Add the 2 cups of chilled cream in the mixing bowl.
• Whip the cream using a stand mixer, hand mixer or immersion blender. For 3 minutes and then add a quarter cup condensed milk, orange essence and cocoa mixture and whip again for 3 minutes. Add a quarter cup of the condensed milk, orange essence and cocoa mixture at a time and mix for 3 minute intervals. The consistency will be really creamy and frothy.
• Freeze overnight in a freezer safe box or bowl.