NO-EGG CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM

Ok, since I live in Belgium I feel that I have to post a chocolate recipe. This one is special. I only share it with my closest friends. I make this when I want a blast of intense chocolate flavor without a lot of heavyness. No, that's not really true. I make this when I want some chocolate bliss.

Use the best chocolate you can get—at least 60% cocoa. Yes, there's cayenne pepper in this. If you hate cayenne, then close your eyes when you put the pinch of it in, but trust me on this, ok? Just do it. The same with the black pepper. It should be as finely ground as you can get it—I grind mine in the pepper mill and then crush it more with my mortar and pestle. You don't want chunks of pepper in here, only the depth of flavor.

Adapted from this David Lebovitz recipe.

Ingredients

1 cup (225 ml) cream

1/2 cup (100g) sugar

pinch of salt

1/8 tsp instant espresso

pinch cayenne pepper

1/8 tsp finely ground black pepper, crushed even finer in a mortar and pestle

1/2 cup (50g) unsweetened cocoa powder -- the best you can get

4 ounces (110g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, cut in small pieces -- also the best you can get

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup (225 ml) milk

1. In a medium-sized saucepan, mix the cream and the cocoa. Whisk it until the cocoa is incorporated into the cream. Add the sugar, salt, instant coffee and the peppers.

2. Heat, stirring constantly until it comes to a boil.

3. Remove from heat and add the chocolate and the vanilla. Stir until the chocolate is melted and then add the milk.

4. Chill, then freeze in an ice cream freezer.

Variations:

• You can pour the liquid into popsicle forms and freeze it that way. This works very well.
• You can replace the cream with half and half or even milk. This will reduce the richness, of course.
• You can replace the instant coffee with Kahlua.

Serves 4 if they like it and 10 if they don't.