real housewife of ATL: No Churn | Fresh Mint | Eggless | Ice Cream

as an ode to my kitchen efforts as a recent housewife, my first post is about my attempt to make eggless no churn mint ice-cream with fresh mint!

as a personal note, the significance of this is that my husband N loves oreo-mint ice cream (which is challenging to find in any company but Breyer's).  his mom (let's call her Mummy), does not eat eggs (like many Indian vegetarians). so this recipe will hopefully satisfy their tastebuds, and of course my own, too!

after scouring the internet and reading entirely too many recipes, i've decided on a method. maybe.

so here's debate 1:
fresh mint VS peppermint

since we grow mint, there's quite literally no reason to not use our yummy mint. especially since they likely will not make it past fall.

now, welcome to debate 2:
steeped mint VS minced VS steeped+minced

what i've decided to do is:
steep the mint leaves in a cream (which should not be allowed to boil, rather simmer gently)
~~as i'm writing this before starting the process, i may or may not pulverize the leaves with my immersion blender~~

on to debate 3 (which one would think precludes 1 and 2... and yet here we are): the question of which creams in quite literally any combination
whole milk
half & half (weird, right?)
heavy whipping cream
heavy cream (is this actually different from the above?)
condensed milk

given my method of steeping:
i must allow the cream to cool off, before combining them.  i've decided to use
heavy whipping and condensed milk, since that seems to be the most common combination

debate 4:
do i whip the heavy cream into stiff peaks prior to folding? or do i simply fold them together?
~~it seems like whipping first will yield the best results, so here's to that!~~


and finally: what the hell is the recipe?
the closest approximation is Beth Dunham's (link below), which i've repasted here.  the colored text indicates my morning-after tips and tricks based on the finished product


Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves (or however much you have or want to use)
• 2 cups whipping cream (i used heavy whipping cream)
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk (300ml)
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract i "forgot" to include this ---rather, i didn't think it would be necessary.
• 1/4 teaspoon pure peppermint extract (optional) as above, i wanted to use natural mint flavor.
• 160 grams dark chocolate bar - coarsely chopped this being my first attempt at ice cream, i didn't want to waste chocolate if the ice cream was terrible

Instructions:

• Coarsely chop the mint leaves and combine with the cream in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Gently warm the mixture, stirring occasionally, until it feels hot to the touch. Don't let it come a boil. Remove the pan from the heat, cover and let steep for 20-30 minutes.
• on my electric stove top (the worst, i know) the setting i opted for was the 2nd or 3rd bar up from "low".  of course i was multitasking and the cream came to a boil.... but i carried on regardless!
• Chill the infusion until it very cold by placing the bowl in a larger bowl filled with ice or by placing it in the refrigerator for a few hours. The cream won't whip properly unless it is very cold, so don't try and rush this step.
• Strain the cream into a bowl, squeezing the mint in order to release as much liquid as possible.
• In the bowl of your stand-mixer, or using a large whisk, whip the cream until it holds gentle peaks. i tried to whisk by hand, but of course i was pressed for time when i got to this stage.  i switched to an immersion blender, but i didn't quite get the cream to hold stiff peaks... hence the ice cream is not quite ice cream today.
• here's a video of what whipping heavy cream by hand should look like, including stiff peaks
• Taste the cream to test for flavour, you may want to add a few drops of peppermint extract if it's not quite minty enough for your liking. it was very minty! and refreshing at this point.
• In a separate bowl, stir together the sweetened condensed milk with the vanilla until combined. again, i skipped the vanilla because i wasn't in the mood
• First fold in about a cup of the whipped cream to the sweetened condensed milk to lighten it a bit. Then add this mixture into the remaining whipped cream and continue to fold in until everything has been evenly incorporated.
• Finally, stir the dark chocolate bits through the mixture.
• Transfer to a container for freezing. This can be a chilled glass, chilled ceramic or metal loaf pan.
• i like to minimize the number of dirty dishes, and maximize the amount of batter/cream/food that makes it into whatever i'm working on that day.  so what i did was
• chill a pyrex bread loaf container (the final container for freezing the ice cream) when i started to warm the cream.
• after warming, i used a large measuring cup to chill the cream in the fridge (and i also covered it with plastic wrap).
• after chilling, i poured it all into the chilled glassware to whip the cream
• i reused the large measuring cup to mix the condensed milk and half of the whipped cream
• then reunited the two into the glassware for freezing!
• Cover the surface of the mixture with plastic wrap, and freeze for 5-6 hours until firm.

the internet would have me believe all methods are *essentially* equal... and only intending to make a single batch (this time), i shall happily report back about these results and update the post when i've tried another method.


RESULTS!

• In terms of mintyness, i'm pleased. however the condensed milk has an overpowering flavor of condensed-ness, which might be the reason the original recipe recommended vanilla. 
• in terms of texture, i did get little fat globules (i think that's what they are).
• it is delightfully rich and creamy, with no ice particles (hurrah!!)

And finally,
I'm doing some morning-after research and found some excellent tips & trips listed below
Common Homemade Ice Cream Issues @ Food52

recipe inspirations drawn from:
Beth Dunham
Amy @ The Idea Room
Haley @ Carrots for Michaelmas
Agnes @ Hello, Wonderful