aztec hot chocolate ice cream
I really had intended to share this with you last week, but my husband (I don’t believe I’ve told you how amazing he is yet) decided to surprise me by whisking me away to New York City for the weekend. During our 56 hour stay in the city we learned a few things: traffic lanes are mere suggestions — after all it is a whole heckuva lot more fun to play chicken while in a cab, then while out. You think you’ve seen/been around/can tolerate a large crowd of people, then you enter Times Square and your reality is shattered. Sometimes cabbies have no idea where “The Met” is, or “Central Park” and will need you to guide them, or give them a street address, because, seriously, central park has been relocated about five times in the last year and the met, well, they think you’re talking baseball.
For the times when we were not resting our poor feet we walked, walked, walked and walked some more, walking until our feet were lifeless nubs, stopping occasionally at a French chocolatier, where we were tempted to buy a $40 box of pale pink mini macaroons filled with chocolate, or pay $75 a pound for some caramel filled chocolates, but decided to press on to Levain bakery who won a throw down against Bobby Flay. They are famous for their muffin sized cookies that must weight at least half a pound each. There was also an impromptu lunch at Balthazr’s, which was exactly like their little red cookbook, and the bakery attached had fresh breads, pastries, brownies and, well, we tried to not get carried away because we also gluttonously downed two frozen hot chocolates in one sitting.
And, no, we did not eat for an entire 56 hours, we also spent time checking out all the great spots — walking to the Flat Iron building, Central Park, Rockefeller Plaza, Top of the Empire State Building, The Met, Broadway, and literally everything in between. And now, approximately 30 hours back at home, my feet are still soaking in a hot water bubble bath, I am constantly begging some kind soul to give me a foot massage and I am searching for the world’s plushest ottoman to rest my poor little nubs upon. Was it worth it? I’d say so.
Ha! But the surprise did not stop there, because my wonderful husband immediately flew me home and took me to Citronelle for the most amazing 10-course meal by Michel Richard. It was the first time I have had the privilege of eatting the food of a master chef, and I must say nothing quite compares. There was salmon and caviar, split pea soup — which will change anyone’s pea soup hatred into pea soup lust — scallops, halibut in a lobster saffron sauce, a lobster burger that blew my little mushy, love struck mind into oblivion and food ecstasy, 72-hour braised short ribs that tasted like butter and melted in your mouth, cheeses, fresh steaming pillowy breads with crisp, crackly exteriors, and for dessert, we had a sugar-glass blown heart filled with rose petal sorbet, fresh berries, and cream; there was Josh’s favorite “eggs-ceptional” lemon meringue pie that looked like an egg inside a little white chocolate egg shell, there was a candied pear with chocolate sauce, and last but not least coffee and a plate of assorted petit fours, candies and deep dark chocolate truffles, all of which stuffed us to the brim. Seriously, if we had been poked or bumped into the wall as we staggered out in complete food coma, we would have burst into a thousand little pieces — thank gawd that didn’t happen.
But, as I was saying, you can blame my totally awesome husband for delaying your ice cream satisfaction a few days. Okay, I guess you can really blame me, since it’s taken me over five weeks to actually make this from my “beach reading” from my last trip. I picked up a book before heading to a white sand velvet beach, specifically for reading while on the beach, but found I had completely gone through every recipe and bookmarked every single page by the time we reached the shore ten minutes later. Sometimes I just don’t have the self control to stop myself.
I’ve heard there are people who add spicy heat to their chocolate confections, and it doesn’t really surprise me, as I am a firm believer in a good spoonful of cocoa powder in chili. Though the ice cream is perfectly creamy, chocolatey and tastes like a mug of hot cocoa, it is deceptively spicy and if you’re not careful will burn your throat and will have you blindly grabbing for a cup of milk to soothe your watering eyes and your fiery mouth. Of course, you should also not add a strong chili powder to something without sampling the heat slowly (shame on you Meg). I would definitely dial the heat back the next time and taste as I go. The ice cream is to have a subtle “warmth” and just a tad bit of zippy heat, but not overpoweringly so.
[More pictures continued after the recipe]
One Year Ago: Bay Scallop Gratin
Aztec Hot Chocolate
Adapted from David Lebovitz’s The Perfect Scoop
Makes about 1 quart
As I said above, this ice cream is deceptively spicy, and though I dialed the heat back and used his smaller measurement for spice my husband — who likes to compete with co-workers on who can eat the spiciest food — and me — the one who cannot tolerate a de-seeded jalapeno — found it chokingly spicy. If I make this again, I will definitely dial it back to 1/4 teaspoon, but recommend you “taste as you go.” David Lebovitz noted that chili powders can vary in intensity and if you’re unsure of the strength of your chili powder, add a small amount and let it sit for a while, then see if you like it before adding more. The subtle warmth can heat up as it sits.
2 1/4 cups heavy cream
6 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
3/4 cup sugar
3 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 1/4 cups whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
2 tablespoons tequila
Whisk together the cream, cocoa powder, and sugar in a large sauce pan. Heat the mixture, whisking frequently, until it comes to a full, rolling boil (it will start to foam up so keep an eye on it). Remove from heat and add the chocolate whisking until completely melted. Stir in the milk, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, chile powder, and tequila. Pour mixture into a blender and blend for 30 seconds, until very smooth.
Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
New York City
Conversions & Equivalents
Volume | Baking | Metric | Pan Size | Temperature | Oven | Other
1/2 teaspoon
=
30 drops
1 teaspoon
=
1/3 tablespoon OR 60 drops
3 teaspoon
=
1 tablespoon or 1/2 fluid ounce
1/2 tablespoon
=
1 1/2 teaspoons
1 tablespoon
=
3 teaspoons or 1/2 fluid ounce
2 tablespoons
=
1/8 cup or 1 fluid ounce
3 tablespoons
=
1 1/2 fluid ounces
4 tablespoons
=
1 1/4 cup or 2 fluid ounces
5 1/3 tablespoons
=
1/3 cup or 5 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon
8 tablespoons
=
1/2 cup or 4 fluid ounces
10 2/3 tablespoons
=
2/3 cup or 10 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons
12 tablespoons
=
3/4 cup or 6 fluid ounces
16 tablespoons
=
1 cup or 8 fluid ounces or 1/2 pint
1/8 cup
=
2 tablespoons or 1 fluid ounce
1/4 cup
=
4 tablespoons or 2 fluid ounces
1/3 cup
=
5 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon
3/8 cup
=
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons
1/2 cup
=
8 tablespoons or 4 fluid ounces
2/3 cup
=
10 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons
5/8 cup
=
1/2 cup + 2 teaspoons
3/4 cup
=
12 tablespoons or 6 fluid ounces
7/8 cup
=
3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons
1 cup
=
16 tablespoons or 1/2 pint or 8 fluid ounces
2 cups
=
1 pint or 16 fluid ounces
1 pint
=
2 cups or 16 fluid ounces
1 quart
=
2 pints or 4 cups or 32 fluid ounces
1 gallon
=
4 quarts or 8 pints or 16 cups or 128 fluid ounces
FLOUR
1 cup all-purpose flour
=
5 ounces or 142 grams
1 cup cake flour
=
4 ounces or 113 grams
1 cup whole wheat flour
=
5 1/2 ounces or 156 grams
SUGAR
1 cup granulated white sugar
=
7 ounces or 198 grams
1 cup packed brown sugar
=
7 ounces or 198 grams
1 cup confectioners sugar
=
4 ounces or 113 grams
COCOA POWDER
1 cup cocoa powder
=
3 ounces or 85 grams
BUTTER
4 tablespoons
=
1/2 stick or 1/4 cup or 2 ounces
8 tablespoons
=
1 stick or 1/2 cup or 4 ounces
16 tablespoons
=
2 sticks or 1 cup or 8 ounces
32 tablespoons
=
4 sticks or 2 cups or 1 pound
1/4 teaspoon
=
1.23 milliliters
1/2 teaspoon
=
2.46 milliliters
3/4 teaspoon
=
3.7 milliliters
1 teaspoon
=
4.93 milliliters
1 1/4 teaspoon
=
6.16 milliliters
1 1/2 teaspoon
=
7.39 milliliters
1 3/4 teaspoon
=
8.63 milliliters
2 teaspoon
=
9.86 milliliters
1 tablespoon
=
14.79 milliliters
2 tablespoons
=
29.57 milliliters
1/4 cup
=
59.15 milliliters
1/2 cup
=
118.3 milliliters
1 cup
=
236.59 milliliters
2 cups or 1 pint
=
473.18 milliliters
3 cups
=
709.77 milliliters
4 cups or 1 quart
=
946.36 milliliters
1/4 teaspoon
=
1.23 milliliters
4 quarts or 1 gallon
=
3.785 liters
PAN SIZE
VOLUME
CAN SUBSTITUTE WITH
1 8-inch round cake pan
4 cups
1 8x4-inch loaf pan
1 9-inch round cake pan
1 9-inch pie plate
2 8-inch round cake pans
8 cups
2 8x4-inch loaf pans
1 9-inch tube pan
2 9-inch round cake pans
1 10-inch bundt pan
1 11x7-inch baking dish
1 10-inch springform pan
1 9-inch round cake pan
6 cups
1 8-inch round cake pan
1 8x4-inch loaf pan
1 11x7-inch baking dish
2 9-inch round cake pans
12 cups
2 8x4-inch loaf pans
1 9-inch tube pan
2 8-inch round cake pans
1 10-inch bundt pan
2 11x7-inch baking dish
1 10-inch springform pan
1 10-inch round cake pan
11 cups
2 8-inch round cake pan
1 9-inch tube pan
1 10-inch springform pan
2 10-inch round cake pans
22 cups
5 8-inch round cake pans
3 or 4 9-inch round cake pans
2 10-inch spring form pan
9-inch tube pan
12 cups
2 8-inch round cake pans
2 9-inch round cake pans
1 10-inch bundt pan
10-inch tube pans
16 cups
3 9-inch round cake pans
2 10-inch pie plates
4 8-inch pie plates
2 9x5-inch loaf pans
2 8-inch square baking dishes
2 9-inch square baking dishes
10-inch bundt pan
12 cups
1 9x13-inch baking dish
2 9-inch round cake pans
1 9-inch tube pan
2 11x7-inch baking dishes
1 10-inch springform pan
11x7x2-inch baking dish
6 cups
1 8-inch square baking dish
1 9-inch square baking dish
1 9-inch round cake pan
9x13x2-inch baking dish
15 cups
1 10-inch bundt pan
2 9-inch round cake pans
3 8-inch round cake pans
1 10x15-inch jellyroll pan
10x15x1-inch jellyroll pan
15 cups
1 10-inch bundt pan
2 9-inch round cake pans
2 8-inch round cake pan
1 9x13-inch baking dish
9x5-inch loaf pan
8 cups
1 10-inch pie plate pan
1 8-inch square baking dish
1 9-inch square baking dish
8x4-inch loaf pan
6 cups
1 8-inch round cake pan
1 11x7-inch baking dish
9-inch springform pan
10 cups
1 10-inch round cake pan
1 10-inch spring form pan
2 8-inch round cake pans
2 9-inch round cake pans
10-inch springform pan
12 cups
2 8x4-inch loaf pan
1 9-inch tube pan
2 9-inch round cake pans
1 10-inch bundt pan
2 11x7-inch baking dishes
2 8-inch round cake pans
8-inch square baking dish
8 cups
1 9x5-inch loaf pan
2 8-inch pie plates
9-inch square baking dish
8 cups
1 11x7-inch baking dish
1 9x5-inch loaf pan
2 8-inch pie plate
Water Freezes
32°F
0°C
40°F
4.4°C
50°F
10°C
60°F
15.6°C
70°F
21.1°C
80°F
26.7°C
90°F
32.2°C
100°F
37.8°C
110°F
43.3°C
120°F
48.9°C
130°F
54.4°C
140°F
60°C
150°F
65.6°C
160°F
71.1°C
170°F
76.7°C
180°F
82.2°C
190°F
87.8°C
200°F
93.3°C
Water Boils
212°F
100°C
250°F
121°C
300°F
149°C
350°F
177°C
400°F
205°C
450°F
233°C
500°F
260°C
275°F
=
140°C or Gas Mark 1
300°F
=
150°C or Gas Mark 2
325°F
=
165°C or Gas Mark 3
350°F
=
180°C or Gas Mark 4
375°F
=
190°C or Gas Mark 5
400°F
=
200°C or Gas Mark 6
425°F
=
220°C or Gas Mark 7
450°F
=
230°C or Gas Mark 9
475°F
=
240°C or Gas Mark 10
And for conversions that are not listed I found a great conversion calculator here!
Comment Guidelines
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The Good Kind of Comments:
- Conversational. If you're starting or continuing a conversation about your life, your experiences in the kitchen, or stories about your family, then I love and welcome your comments. The ability to genuinely connect with other people with similar interests whom I may never otherwise meet is one of the things I most love about the food blogging community, and I encourage people to participate as much as they'd like in these sometimes spontaneous conversations.
- Feedback. If you tried a recipe that you found on The Red Spoon, I would love to hear about it. Whether it was a success or a flop, whether you added ingredients or adjusted cooking times, whatever you did, I am always interested in hearing how things went in another kitchen with the same recipe.
- Questions. If something in a recipe is confusing or obviously wrong, please feel free to ask a question. Or, if you're just really curious about where we bought the cutest outfit on the latest Henry cameo, don't be shy at all about asking.
The Bad Kind of Comments:
- Irrelevant. I'm pretty open minded about the kinds of conversations that might happen in the comments section, but the ones I'm referring to here are things like permission requests, recipe requests, advertising requests, etc. that would be more appropriate in an email. A good rule of thumb is that if the comment will alienate everyone else reading the post, try putting in an email directly to me instead.
- Linking. As part of the comment in-take form, there is a field where you can enter your website or blog and it will appear as a hyperlink embedded in your name in the text of the comment. This kind of linking is perfectly acceptable. When linking is not acceptable is if the corresponding comment is completely irrelevant, i.e. an excuse to market your website on my website, in which case your comment will be deleted for irrelevance, or if you leave a link in the body of the comment. The rule of thumb is don't try to market your website on my website. I know all the tricks and I will delete your comment if I think this is what you're doing.
- Nastygrams. Every once in a while I find one of these in my inbox or in a comment on a post. People sending me nastygrams: don't do it. You're wasting your time. I really don't care if you think my blog "looks like" another blog, of if you think talking about my kid and putting pictures of him in posts is "copying" another blog. Seriously. The blog you're rushing to defend probably didn't come up with that one either, and even if they did there is nothing illegal, unethical, or unfair about doing the same thing. If you're genuinely concerned that plagiarism has taken place on The Red Spoon, just send me a polite email asking if I forgot to credit someone somewhere. But when you leave an anonymous comment saying that my website is ugly, you have become that annoying kid on the playground that wants to correct everyone but that no one else likes, except you're not a kid so what's your excuse? Your comment will be deleted, your email won't be responded to, and thank you for the page views and corresponding advertising revenue.
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Meg, these pictures are SO GORGEOUS. I thought they were stock from somewhere until I hovered over for the caption. You are so truly talented in more ways than one!
I am coming over for ice cream, PS!
What a great hubby! I adore all of your pictures from New York. The black and white so makes them look like shots out of the 1940s! Beautiful!
It looks creamy and so good..
Funny, you’re hitting up all the hot spots I’m going to just before I get there! Beautiful photography of NYC and what delicious looking ice-cream – mhmmm!
Jax x
This is an amazing post, not only because your commentary on NYC is spot on when it comes to the ‘tired tourist tootsies’ but because of the photographs … and then, your restaurant and meal review … sypathetic food coma going on right now, right here, and finally an awesome recipe for ice cream!
The pics are fantastic, amazing really. Congrats on your anniversary =)