Ice cream is manna from the heavens. To me it's also like most wine and bourbon. How much I enjoy it ranges from "a lot" to "a whole lot."
I love love love how creamy Tillamook is. It's my current store-bought fave.
I've got an obvious emotional attachment to Howling Cow (which I also think is quite good in it's own right).
Goodberry's custard is another favorite (again, the creaminess of their custard is hard for most ice creams to beat).
If you're in Raleigh, Two Roosters is phenomenal if you're looking for more gourmet, farm-to-table type stuff.
If you love chocolate, keep reading. Eight or 10 years ago we went over to a friend's for breakfast and afterward he pulled a homemade ice cream maker bowl out of the freezer with some homemade chocolate custard in it he'd made the night before. It was as life-changing as food can be. It's honestly some of the best stuff I've ever put in my mouth, of any food type. So simple, creamy, rich, smooth, and so, so chocolate-ey.
I leave this here for your consideration, and hopefully, your enjoyment this spring and summer...
Grady's Homestyle Chocolate Custard
Ingredients
1 1/2 ounces unsweetened cocoa powder, approximately 1/2 cup
3 cups half-and-half and 1 cup heavy cream
8 egg yolks
1 C sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract **use the good stuff not that imitation bull******
salt
Directions
1. Place the cocoa powder along with 1 cup of the half-and-half into a medium saucepan over medium heat and whisk to combine.
2. Add the remaining half-and-half and the heavy cream. Bring the mixture just to a simmer, stirring occasionally, and remove from the heat. In a medium mixing bowl whisk the egg yolks until they lighten in
color. Gradually add the sugar and whisk to combine.
3. Temper the cream mixture into the eggs and sugar by gradually adding small amounts, until about 1/3 of the cream mixture has been added.
4. Pour in the remainder and return the entire mixture to the saucepan and place over medium low heat. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon and reaches 170 to 175 degrees F.
5. Pour the mixture into a container and allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
6. Stir in the vanilla extract.
7. Place the mixture into the refrigerator and once it is cool enough not to form condensation on the lid, cover and store for 4 to 8 hours or until the temperature reaches 40 degrees F or below.
8. Pour into an ice cream maker and process.
9. Return to freezer for 3 to 4 hours to allow the ice cream to set up.
10. Try not to eat the whole bowl in one sitting.
