Dark Chocolate Ice Cream

This is the best chocolate ice cream, it's rich, and hard.

• Ready In: 30 mins
• Serves: 4
• Yields: 3 cups

Ingredients

• 4  large  egg yolks, at room temperature
• 2⁄3 cup sugar
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄3 cup  unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2⁄3 cup  semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2  cups milk, warmed
•  vanilla, if desired
• 2  tablespoons sugar
• 2  teaspoons water

Directions

1. Beat together the eggs, sugar and salt till light. Stir in the cocoa powder till smooth, set aside.
2. Melt the chocolate chips in a 4-cup pan over low heat, stirring often, until almost melted. Stir in the warm milk, a little at the time, until the chips are incorporated. Add some vanilla, if desired.
3. Set aside from heat.
4. Make a caramel by placing the two tablespoons sugar, and two teaspoons water into a nonstick skillet over medium or medium-high heat. Swirl the pan a little and let the sugar melt into the water. Cook medium-dark. Pour into the chocolate milk and return the pan to the heat.
5. Cook, without allowing the mixture to simmer or boil, until the caremilized sugar is dissolved. Strain over the egg yolk mixture to combine.
6. Return the ice cream mixture to the heat, and cook gently until the chocolate lightly coats the back of a spoon. Transfer it to a bowl and chill. Freeze according to manufacturers instructions.
7. Note: when taking custard sauce off of the stove, and leaving it in the pan, do stir it until it has cooled some, otherwise the heat from the base, is liable to curdle the egg yolks in the hottest part of the pan, always transfer it into a clean mixing bowl, or keep it in the pan, but stir it until it's heat has reduced significantly.