Ice Creams By La Lecheria Recipe

Prepare the infusion

Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape seeds into a saucepan. Add the whole milk, heavy cream, and half the sugar (1.5 tbs). Warm over medium heat until it steams and small bubbles form at the edge (do not boil). Remove from heat, cover, and let vanilla steep 20–30 minutes to infuse.

Temper yolks

Whisk egg yolks with the remaining sugar until slightly pale. Rewarm the milk mixture to steaming. Slowly pour about 1/3 cup of the hot milk into the yolks while whisking constantly to temper. Gradually add another 1/3 cup, then pour the tempered yolk mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining milk/cream, stirring continuously.

Cook custard

Cook the mixture over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a spatula or wooden spoon, scraping the bottom, until it thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon (about 170–175°F / 77–80°C). Do not boil. Remove from heat and stir in 1 tsp fine sea salt and the vanilla bean pod (or 1 tsp vanilla extract if using).

Chill

Strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl to remove any cooked bits and the pod. Cool to room temperature, cover, and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight until thoroughly chilled.

Churn & freeze

Churn in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions until soft-set. Transfer to a container, press plastic against the surface, and freeze at least 4 hours to firm.

Mix cocoa into milk

Whisk the cocoa powder into 1 cup whole milk in a saucepan to remove lumps. Add 1 cup heavy cream and half the sugar (1.5 tbs). Warm over medium heat until steaming.

Melt chocolate

Remove from heat, add the chopped bittersweet chocolate and stir until fully melted and smooth.

Temper yolks & cook custard

Whisk the egg yolks with the remaining sugar until pale. Temper the yolks by slowly whisking in about 1/3 cup hot chocolate-milk mixture, then return tempered yolks to the saucepan. Cook over medium-low, stirring constantly, until mixture reaches 170–175°F (coats the back of a spoon). Stir in 3 tsp fine sea salt (this yields a pleasantly salty chocolate — taste and adjust if desired).

Strain, chill, churn

Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl to remove any solids. Cool to room temperature, cover and refrigerate until fully chilled (4 hours or overnight). Churn in an ice cream maker until soft-set, then transfer to container and freeze at least 4 hours to firm.

Cook raspberries

Combine raspberries, sugar, lemon juice and water in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until raspberries break down and sauce thickens slightly, about 6–8 minutes.

Strain & cool

Push the cooked berries through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, discarding seeds. Taste and add more sugar or lemon juice if needed. Cool to room temperature, then chill in the refrigerator. Sauce will thicken as it cools.

Make ganache-style drizzle

Place the chopped bittersweet chocolate in a small heatproof bowl. Warm the cream and corn syrup until just simmering, then pour over the chocolate. Let sit 1 minute, then stir until glossy and smooth. Stir in a pinch of sea salt. If too thick, loosen with a little more warm cream; if too thin, cool until it thickens slightly.

Assemble the scoops

Scoop chilled vanilla and salted chocolate ice creams into bowls or cones. For each serving, use one scoop of vanilla and one scoop of salted chocolate (or adjust to taste).

Sauce & garnish

Warm the chocolate sauce slightly if needed so it drizzles. Spoon raspberry sauce over the scoops and then drizzle with the chocolate sauce. Sprinkle with toasted hazelnuts or cookie crumble and scatter fresh raspberries if using.

Serve

Serve immediately. Store any leftover sauces refrigerated (raspberry up to 5 days, chocolate up to 7 days) and ice cream in an airtight container in the freezer.