Happy national ice cream day!! Today we are so excited to feature this yummy Beet-Chocolate Chunk Ice cream!  Created by the talented Kelli Hall…she says, “this week I’m making a treat with two purposes:  1. to beat the heat and 2. disguise some veggies for my 3 year old in a unique homemade ice cream.  The flavors are admittedly a little complex (creamy, with hints of orange and earthy undertones), but I once saw him munch on dried leaves like they were potato chips, so I figure its worth a go at this adventurous flavor. Check out the unique recipe below…

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The color alone is an intriguing novelty for my little guy, but the taste and texture is absolute heaven!. I’ve adapted this from a Saveur recipe which uses Jeni’s Splendid ice cream base.
Ingredients
4-5 large beets
2 cups milk
4 tablespoons cornstarch
2/3 cups sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon salt
Peel of 1 large orange
3 tablespoons mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup of semisweet chocolate chips, coarsely chopped

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Instructions:
Wash and scrub the beets, trimming the tops to leave about 1” of the stems. Wrap them tightly in foil and roast in the oven for about 1 hour. They should be tender when pierced with a knife. Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool completely before trimming the tops and peeling off the outer skins. After the beets are cleaned, drop them in a food processor and blend until you have a smooth puree. This should yield about 1/2 cup of beet puree.

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In a separate bowl, stir 1/4 cup of milk and the cornstarch. Set aside.

In a saucepan, whisk together the rest of the milk, cream, sugar, syrup and salt over medium heat. When it reaches a boil, add the orange peel (I suggest bundling the orange peel in a bit of cheesecloth so it can be easily removed).

Cook for 4 minutes and add in the milk-cornstarch mixture. Stir until thickened.

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In another bowl, add the mascarpone cheese and pour in the hot mixture from the saucepan, whisking until smooth. Stir in beets. Pour mixture into a well-sealed tupperware container or plastic bag and submerge in a bowl of ice water.

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Once the mixture has chilled, remove the orange peel and transfer to an ice cream maker, churning for about 20 minutes until the mixture is set. Fold in the chocolate chunk pieces and scoop into a sugar cone or store in the freezer.

Enjoy!

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