CULTURED BUTTER || my favorite recipe

Have you made homemade butter before? It’s so easy, and such a special treat with bread! I use our raw cream, but you can use whipping cream from the grocery store too. I’ve wanted to try cultured butter for a while….and now that I’ve tried it….it’s my absolute favorite! It’s easy, just plan for the cream to culture 12-24 hours before you want to eat your butter :)

I start by making Creme Fraiche with the fresh cream. To do that you will pour cream into a saucepan and heat on low until slightly warmer than lukewarm, 95-100 degrees. Stir in 1 TBSP of culture per 1 cup of cream. I use plain yogurt, you can use sour cream too. Stir in the culturing agent and then pour cream + mixed culturing agent into a glass jar. Leave it in a warm area of your kitchen for 12-24 hours. Now you have creme fraiche! Stick in in the refrigerator, you will want it cold for making butter!

Poor your chilled Creme Fraiche into your stand mixing bowl and turn to medium low, whipping as if making whipped cream. Stop every now and then to scrape down the bowl. As the cream thickens increase the speed. When it’s just past the stage of whipped cream, it will start to turn yellow and separate into clumps. Decrease the speed (you don’t want buttermilk everywhere :) and watch the butter quickly solidify.

There are a few different ways to rinse the buttermilk from the butter. I like to pour mine into a fine mesh sieve and pour cold water over it as I spread the butter around. The goal is to get out all of the liquid. I also like to gather it into a ball in my hands, and work the liquid out while the faucet is running. This step is a must as your unwashed butter will spoil quickly!!

Pat dry and add salt or flavorings. Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. It also freezes beautifully!

Enjoy!!

EASY FRENCH YOGURT CAKE || and easy, sweet recipe

The girls have recently started baking on their own….and I am loving it! Savanna first made this recipe last year while studying France, and it has become a family favorite! It’s delicious, easy and we usually have all of the ingredients on hand! If you are craving a simple and delicious treat, or you have a little chef that wants to be more independent in the kitchen, this is the perfect easy, sweet recipe!

F R E N C H Y O G U R T C A K E

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup Greek or plain yogurt

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 cup avocado or olive oil

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

GLAZE: 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, 3/4 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a bread pan with nonstick oil.

In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together yogurt, sugar and eggs until well blended. Next, stir in the flour, baking powder, salt and vanilla. Finally, stir in the oil until smooth.

Pour batter in pan and bake 40-50 minutes. To determine if it’s done, insert a toothpick in the center of the cake and if it is clean when you pull it out, your cake is done.

Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes. Remove from pan. Blend glaze ingredients until smooth. Drizzle with glaze over the warm cake. Slice and enjoy!

BABY COWS + BAKING || January

Well, we just had baby #2 of 2024. Early Tuesday morning, with temps barely reaching 15 degrees, little Rhodi was born!

Rhodi (short for Rhododendron) is our second little heifer (girl) in 2 weeks! We have two more mamas due next month….I love watching the new calves!!

Last week my dairy cow calved and now we are back to getting our delicious, fresh, raw milk! My life feels complete….a little dramatic I guess, but I was sure missing my fresh cream in my coffee! Raw milk + cream makes THE BEST ice cream….I’ve been missing ice cream too! We’ve been slowly pecking away at the milking barn over the past year and now I can milk in there!!! We still have kinks to work out in the barn, but each day we make progress!

The girls have been baking and I love having recipes that they can make on their own. Sav has been making granola non-stop and I am not mad about it at all! This is our super easy granola recipe….that even a 10 year old can make!

1. 2 cups whole rolled oats

2. 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, (or almonds, or a mix of both)

3. 1/2 cup coconut flakes

4. 2 teaspoons cinnamon

5. 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

6. 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil

7. 1/4 cup maple syrup

8. 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter

9. 1/3 cup dried cherries, optional

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 300°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

• In a medium bowl, combine the oats, walnuts, coconut flakes, cinnamon, and salt. Drizzle in the coconut oil and maple syrup and add the almond butter. Stir until combined. Scoop the granola onto the baking sheet and press the mixture into a 1-inch-thick oval. This will encourage clumping.

• Bake for 15 minutes, rotate the pan halfway, and use a fork to gently break the granola apart just a bit. Bake for 15 minutes more, or until golden brown. Sprinkle with dried cranberries or cherries, if desired. Let cool for 15 minutes before serving.

WINTER JOYS || little bits of sweetness

Hello and happy 2024! As another year flies by, I am reminded of how fleeting time is. I am working on intentionally enjoying the sweet little bits of the every day.

I LOVE good food, and I get excited for just about every meal :). I found this gingerbread cake recipe in late November and I have been baking it at least twice a month!! Sally’s Baking Addiction is my go-to for so many recipes!

We’ve also welcomed a handful of new cows to the farm, just within the past couple of months. The newest addition is little Maggie! She was born on Tuesday, and we are having so much fun with her! Her mama is my Jersey milk cow, and her dad is a mini Hereford bull that is the dad to our last 6 calves. With little Maggie now born, soon we will have raw milk to share. I will keep you posted!

I’ve had the privilege of teaching a SEASONAL DESIGN class at our homeschool co-op. My last class is this month, but it has been so fun to spend time with the kiddos! We’ve made Christmas wreaths, flower arrangements, guest bedroom designs and we have learned a lot about color, materials and textures. Such a fun season!!

Happy New Year! I hope you find joy in the little bits through your day!!

WREATH MAKING WORKSHOPS

An annual tradition…..

These wreath making workshops have become a highlight of the holiday season for me! From foraging for fresh evergreens, to planning the food and drink menu, to seeing every smiling face, it’s truly such a sweet time! This year we were in the greenhouse, and thankfully it didn’t rain for any of the classes!! The greenhouse is so sweet and charming….but it gets loud when the rain is coming down ;)

Thank you to everyone who attended this year! I am so appreciative of each and every one of you!!

Guest House || before + after

It’s hard to believe, but it’s been 4 1/2 years since we purchased the farm. When we moved here, we knew we wanted to turn the existing 3,300 sf guest house into a short term vacation rental. I have loved managing our various vacation rentals in Carlton, and it seemed like a vacation rental at Westerlook would be the perfect ‘country get-away!”

The original pine paneling in the living room was cozy, but also dark……

Funny enough, Matt remodeled the guest house kitchen almost 10 year prior to us purchasing the farm! He built the cabinets, and at the time was super proud of the paint color scheme on the cabinets :))

The living room received a lot of paint, new flooring and some new light fixtures! It’s a cozy place in the winter when guests want to build a fire in the wood stove, and equally cozy on the hot summer days when guests want to sit inside while the AC runs!

As for the kitchen, we knew the cabinets were solid and well built :). The cabinets got a paint job, and then we replaced everything else in that space. I love that guests have plenty of space and kitchen items to prepare all of their meals, or just make their morning coffee and eat out for the rest of the day!

The guest house has been such a neat way to meet so many fantastic people, and share a little slice of this magical farm!

MOTHER'S DAY FLOWER ARRANGING

I always look forward to our annual Mother’s Day flower arranging workshops! We always seem to have the sweetest ladies, and from all walks and stages of life!

The weather man was saying it was going to be un-seasonally warm for Mother’s Day weekend, so I figured the sweet ladies would not want to roast in the greenhouse:) I decided to set things up under the covered portico and it turns out that is my new favorite place to host workshops! We were close to the kitchen, we had a lovely breeze and we were surrounded by flowers….it was just perfect!

Of course I didn’t get any pictures of everything set up, but I did manage to grab a few photos during the classes. We had arm fulls of tulips, hydrangeas, roses, dogwood, snowballs and more. I kept the colors limited to greens, whites and pinks and it was so fun to see how each arrangement looked so different, but so beautiful!

It is always such a treat to see old friends, and make new ones! Thank you to everyone who came!

SUGAR COOKIES FOR EASTER || a favorite cookie recipe

It hardly seems like we should be talking about Easter! This morning we woke up to snow, which turned into rain, which turned into snow…..it feels more like Christmas around here than Easter! But, the calendar doesn’t lie and I am excited to celebrate one of my favorite holidays! Come April I am so ready for some “spring flavors” and these cookies hit the spot!

These sugar cookies are soft and thick! They have a cream cheese frosting with just the perfect amount of lemon tang!

INGREDIENTS:

COOKIES:

2 cups sugar

1 cup butter

3 eggs

1/4 cup milk

5 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

5 tsp baking powder

FROSTING:

6 TBSP softened butter

pinch of salt

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

4 1/2 cups powdered sugar

4 TBSP milk

6 oz. cream cheese

Grated lemon zest

Preheat oven to 350. Cream together sugar, butter, eggs and milk until well combined, in a large bowl or with a mixer.

Add flour, salt and baking powder until just combined. Liberally flour a work surface and rolling pin. Roll out about 1/4 of the dough at a time, about 3/8 inch think. Cut with cookie cutters and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 10 minutes. Immediately cool on a cookie sheet.

For frosting, soften butter and cream cheese, then blend in powdered sugar, vanilla, salt and milk. Beat until frosting is smooth and fluffy. Frost cookies, grate lemon zest on each cookie and enjoy!

These are the perfect addition to your Easter meal, or just the perfect treat to hit the spot when you are craving something sweet! Let me know if you make them!!!

SOURDOUGH CINNAMON + SUGAR BREAD || and a fun weekend

This sourdough cinnamon + sugar bread is a favorite at our house! Perfect for breakfast, snack time, or any time! I found the recipe via Ash of Turner Farm and it’s so yummy and so easy….I am pretty sure if you make it, it will become a new family favorite at your house too!

S O U R D O U G H C I N N A M O N + S U G A R B R E A D

D O U G H-

2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour || 2 TBSP sugar || 1 tsp. baking powder || 1/2 tsp. baking soda || 1 tsp. salt || 1/2 cup soft butter || 1 cup milk || 1/2 cup sourdough discard

F I L L I N G-

1/2 cup soft butter || 1/2 cup sugar || 1/2 cup brown sugar || 2 tsp. cinnamon

D I R E C T I O N S-

Line loaf pan with parchment paper. Mix all dry ingredients together, add butter and gently cut in.

Add milk and discard and combine to make a cohesive dough.

Knead for 5 minutes and add additional flour if needed to make the dough soft. Leave to rise in a bowl for 2-12 hours (I put mine in the refrigerator and let it sit over night.)

Roll out on a floured surface. Spread filling evenly, beginning with butter and then sprinkling sugars and cinnamon.

Cut strips length wise and then the opposite to create equal squares. Stack squares and place in loaf pan. Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes. Make a glaze by melting 1 TBSP of butter and mixing 1/3 cup of powered sugar and a bit of whipping cream, just enough to make smooth and pourable consistency. Pour over warm bread.

We spent last Friday bathing white horses :) and getting ready for the girl’s first 4H show of the season. Saturday was a long, cold and wet day, but the girls had a blast! While it feels like we haven’t seen the sunshine in forever, I know the rain is good and July will come soon enough!

I hope you make the cinnamon + sugar bread…..and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

xoxo-Darci

CHRISTMAS WREATH MAKING + SOME CHANGES

December’s wreath making classes were (once again) so fun and festive! What a treat it is for me to host these classes! From cutting all of the fresh evergreens, to planning the refreshments, to decorating the barn, to chatting with all of the ladies, I find so much joy in all the parts of the wreath making classes!

Thank you to each and every one of you who came to the farm and made Christmas wreathes! It really is an honor and joy to spend that time together with you!! I have been hosting these workshops for the past 12 years and I love that it’s become a tradition for some ladies, others make it every few years, and some are first timers. Regardless, we all have such a sweet time and it always marks the beginning of the Christmas season for me!

And in design and construction news, I am changing course a bit. For the past 15 years I have worked side by side with my amazing and talented husband, while working with him I would take on smaller design jobs.  I have been blessed with amazing clients and the ability to do work that I love!  Over the past 3 years, I have been solely working on his projects, there just wasn't extra time I was willing to give up to pursue other projects. Starting this year, I am stepping back from design and spending my extra time teaching my sweet (and every growing) girls, and pursuing our dreams of farm life.  We have some fun things in the works on the farm, and of course Matt is still building!  So much to share, but that's for another time!

Thank you for being a part of our construction business, or farm adventures and our family!  

MOTHER'S DAY FLOWER ARRANGING CLASSES

What a fun time we had Saturday playing with the flowers!

Farm fresh flowers, tasty treats, laughter and the occasional appearance of the sun.....that was our Saturday on the farm!  

Although we do (loosely guided) flower arranging, the real fun is eating, laughing, playing with flowers and just making time to enjoy the special ladies in our lives!

The girls helped me put this charcuterie board together right before the morning class ladies arrived.  It had all of our current favorites from Costco......dark chocolate covered acai berries, dark chocolate covered caramels, brownie brittle, so many cheeses, prosciutto, a variety of crackers, nuts and fruit.  

We replicated it the next day (Mother's Day) for lunch! The gift that keeps giving :)

I hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day weekend!

xoxo-
Darci

CHRISTMAS WREATH MAKING WORKSHOPS || creative classes

What a fun group of ladies we had at each of our wreath making workshops! We laughed, we ate, we listened to Christmas music and we created wreaths….it was the perfect start to the holiday season!

Thank you to everyone who participated! I sure appreciate each and every one of you and I truly love welcoming you to the farm! I am already looking forward to next year! Until then I hope you have a lovely holiday season!

FARM STORE || open every Friday + Saturday in August, 10am-3pm

Things have been busy on the farm, a good busy, but busy! We are rebuilding, and adding on to one of the barns. We planted new pastures and we are getting ready to get the fencing up, we’ve been pulling weeds and tending to flowers and veggies, and of course mixing in a little fun! The girls are at such a fun age…..I just wish I could slow time down!!!

We are really excited to open our little farm store for the month of August! Every Friday and Saturday from 10am-3pm we will be open! We will have farm fresh flowers, herbs, veggies, fruit, chicken and duck eggs, potted plants, baked goods and a little home decor sprinkled in for good measure ;)

There is just something special about this place! We hear it all of the time from guests, friends and family….once you turn down the driveway you feel the weight of the world lift from your shoulders. We are so excited to share a little bit of this farm with you all! The farm store will be a work in progress, but if I don’t start now, I never will! I have realized I will never be finished with projects here, or have things “just how I want them,” so I might as well share it now, and you all can be part of that journey!

I will have more details regarding product availability and such, but for now, we sure look forward to seeing you in August!

O P E N ::

AUG. 6th & 7th, 10am-3pm

AUG. 13th & 14th, 10am-3pm

AUG. 20th & 21st, 10am-3pm

AUG. 27th & 28th, 10am-3pm

9771 HIGHWAY 47,

CARLTON, OR 97111

A FEW TECHNICAL NOTES:

We will have signs to follow for parking….parking is at the barns, not at our home. We LOVE dogs, but we do ask you to keep them at home or in your car. We have animals on the farm and for the safety of your animals and ours, we ask that they stay in the car or at home.

We can’t wait to see you!

XOXO

Darci

MOTHER'S DAY WORKSHOP || flower arranging

I hosted three Mother’s Day workshops at the farm; it was such a fun day!!! Starting the Saturday morning before Mother’s Day, the girls and I welcomed ladies of all ages. It was such a fun time to connect with ladies….what can be better than some fresh country air, friends, family, beautiful flowers, drinks and treats?!? It was a day filled with creativity and laughter….my favorite!

The girls and I picked greens and a few flowers from our gardens, the rest of the beautiful blooms were purchased from my friend (and talented flower farmer) Beth at Crowley House. The peonies were just about to bloom, and the greenhouse smelled delicious!

And I truly could not have made it though the day without my two trusty side-kicks! I definitely don’t deserved such wonderful little ladies! They worked so hard all day, always had a smile on their sweet little faces and sincerely had so much fun! My best Mother’s Day gift for sure!

Thank you SO MUCH to each and every lady who attended! What a treat to host classes and parties and all of the fun things! I love sharing this farm…..I am way more blessed than I deserve!

McMINNVILLE REMODEL + ADDITION || master bedroom and bathroom

Can you tell what a fun project this was to work on?!? We truly enjoyed getting to know these sweet clients, and all of the hard work was totally worth it!

The homeowners wanted to add a master suite to the main floor. The current floorpan had all of the bedrooms and bathrooms upstairs. With the new design, we added the master suite on with the new kitchen and laundry room addition.

The homeowners each wanted their own vanity space, with a divider between the two. I love this design! And look at all of the great storage!

This tile was hard to come by, especially during COVID! The sweet homeowner showed us a picture of what she liked and we went from there. The curb-less walk in shower is my favorite….and no shower door to clean…that’s a huge bonus!

The new master bedroom has huge windows to capture the beautiful view, and this lovely accent wall. I can’t say how much I love this addition and remodel. Everything turned out so well, and the only down side is that we don’t get to see Jay and Marsha (the lovely homeowners) as often as we did!

Thanks for following along!

xoxo-Darci

McMINNVILLE REMODEL + ADDITION || laundry + playroom

As I mentioned earlier, this remodel was so fun! The clients are so kind and have such good taste! We added square footage to the home, and remodeled the existing first floor…..

We opened up the existing entry, re-moved the carpet and added wood risers to the stairs, we added a lot of millwork and of course new paint, new light fixtures, new door hardware and more!

The ‘play room’ area use to be a sunken sunroom. We raised it to floor level, added new (and fewer) windows and custom cabinetry. What little kid wouldn’t want to come play at Grandma’s?!? It’s just the sweetest!

We gave them a new laundry room too! A sun-filled space to do the never ending laundry chores! I love the tile accent wall…..on the opposite wall is a built-in bench with hooks. It’s just the sweetest space and quite efficient!

All of the downstairs had new hardwood flooring installed, with the exception of the laundry room and master bathroom. I love this tile! Our first choice fell through because of major delays due to Covid (isn’t that the story of everything?) but I love how this tile turned out!

I can’t wait to show you more! What a joy to work for such gracious and kind people, and to work along side my sweet hubby and all of the great sub-contractors he has!

McMINNVILLE REMODEL + ADDITION

Oh I have just been terrible about updating the blog! Life just keeps moving right along, doesn’t it? Well, in February we finished an extensive remodel and addition for the nicest people! It really is a blessing to work for kind hearted people…..makes all the difference in the world!

I need to post BEFORE pictures of this space! The homeowner saved magazine pictures, and “pinned” photos on Pinterest, and it really is a treat to see her beautiful new space come to life!

Matt built beautiful, simple, inset cabinets so that the incredible range could be the star! Isn’t it a beauty? We went with a soft white for the cabinet color, it’s really a perfect white! A little warm, but looks beautiful with cool colors!! And classic white subway tile never goes out of style!

Can we talk a minute about the beautiful coffered ceiling?!? It really makes this space so cozy and just adds another layer of beauty!! Matt spent a lot of time designing that coffered ceiling and I think it’s just beautiful! The cabinets and all of the millwork are painted the same white, I love how all of the details flow together! All of the cabinet hardware is unlacquered brass, the kitchen facet is a brushed gold and the light fixtures are different types of brass. It’s all very collected and classy, in my humble opinion ;)

I plan to share more photos of the rest of the spaces we remodeled, but today I will leave you with the kitchen! It’s such a beautiful space and it was an honor to work on this project! From magazine clippings to reality….and during COVID…..I’m just so proud of my hubby and his crazy good design AND building talents!

More pictures soon, I promise!

xoxo-Darci

FLOURLESS BROWNIES WITH MARSHMALLOW + PB TOPPING

Here we are the week before Thanksgiving! Can you believe it?!? Work has kept us busy, and add homeschooling and farm animals and chores…..I love it all but still wonder how the time flies so quickly?!? Thanksgiving will look so different for us all this year! But that doesn’t stop us from baking and loving on those around us! I have to share this delicious brownie recipe I found…..the perfect compliment to all of the traditional Thanksgiving desserts!

B R O W N I ES:

• 2 cups white sugar

• 3/4 cup vegetable oil

• 4 large eggs

• 2 teaspoons vanilla

• 1 1/2 cup dark cocoa powder

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 cup chocolate chips or chopped chocolate

• 
  T O P P I N G

• 1 bag mini marshmallows (10.5 oz. or 5.5 cups)
  2 cups chocolate chips (or chopped chocolate)
  1 1/4 cups peanut butter
  5 tablespoons butter
  3 cups Rice Krispies

  D I R E C T I O N S

  
  Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.

• Combine the sugars and oil and beat until well combined. Add in the eggs and vanilla and whisk together. Beat for about two minutes.

• Add the cocoa powder and salt to the batter and blend until smooth. Fold in the chocolate chips. Pour into prepared pan.

• Bake the brownies for about 17 minutes and then top with the marshmallows. Continue baking 8 more minutes (if using a different recipe for the brownies, just make sure you add the marshmallows during the last 8 minutes of bake time). Allow to cool while you prepare the topping.
  For the topping, combine the chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter in a microwave safe dish. Microwave thirty seconds at a time, stirring at each interval, until smooth and melted. Fold in the Rice Krispies. Lightly spread warm topping mixture on warm (but cooling) brownies. Allow brownies/topping to completely cool before cutting!

I found this recipe a while back from Yammie’s Noshery and every time I make them they are delicious! It’s a tried and true recipe….I promise you will love them!!!

Wishing you all a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving!!

FLOWERS + TREATS || 5 week csa/subscription

As you know, we were planning to open our farm store in May. Obviously, things are upside down right now with COVID! We have decided the best way to slowly open our farm store is to offer a late summer (5 week) CSA/subscription. We are so excited to offer our farm fresh flowers, delicious hand baked treats made with farm fresh ingredients (apple pie, pear pie, apple butter, cookies, etc.) and other farm fresh treats (produce, herbs, locally hand poured candles, etc.).

Each week, the baked goods will vary. The first week part of your subscription will be an apple pie with apples straight from our apple trees! As for other baked goods, we also have our favorite chocolate chip cookies on the list, our giant, soft peanut butter cookies, our delicious banana muffins and a salted caramel pear pie!

Each week we will select our best of the best from our field and cut fresh the morning of your pick-up. Your bouquet will vary in color every week, but it will be beautiful and full of our favorite blooms!

We are offering a contactless pick up, Wednesdays 2pm-6pm and Saturdays 9am-3pm. If those days/times don’t work for you, we are happy to set your basket out the morning of a day that does work for you! During pick up times, we are happy to open up our farm to you! Bring a picnic and feel free to enjoy the lawn in our carriage house/greenhouse area, shop our greenhouse or visit the animals.

We are excited to offer this late summer subscription for 5 weeks, August 15th - September 12th. Detailed instructions for pick up will be emailed after your subscription is purchased. To purchase your subscription, click HERE.

Here is our schedule for the 5 week subscription:

WEEK #1 - farm fresh apple pie, flower bouquet and locally poured soy candle

WEEK #2 - 1/2 dozen giant chocolate chip cookies, flower bouquet and farm fresh fruit

WEEK #3 - farm fresh pear pie, flower bouquet and farm fresh herbs

WEEK #4 - 1/2 dozen giant peanut butter cookies, flower bouquet, farm fresh veggies + herbs

WEEK #5 - 1/2 dozen bakery style banana muffins, flower bouquet, farm fresh fruit + herbs

We are so excited to share our farm with you!

MINT CHOCOLATE CHIP ICE CREAM || a classic summer treat

Summer time means home made ice cream time at our home! I’ve gotten pretty lazy with my vanilla recipe….milk, cream, vanilla beans and sugar, mix together and pour into the ice cream maker. But sometimes I like kicking things up a notch ;)

Note that if you do not have fresh mint, you can make this mint chocolate chip ice cream recipe with peppermint extract. Skip steps 1 and 2, instead heating 1 cup of milk with 1 cup of cream and the sugar and salt until steaming. Continue with step 3. Add 2 teaspoons of peppermint extract in with the chilled custard mixture in step 6.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 cups of fresh spearmint leaves, rinsed, drained, packed

• 1 cup milk

• 2 cups heavy cream

• 2/3 cup sugar

• A pinch of salt

• 6 egg yolks

• 6 ounces semisweet chocolate or dark chocolate, chopped fine, keep in the freezer until used

Put the mint leaves in a heavy saucepan with the 1 cup of milk and 1 cup of the cream. Heat until just steaming, don’t let it boil, remove from heat, cover, and let stand for 30-45 minutes. Meanwhile, keep the other 1 cup of cream in the refrigerator.

Strain the milk cream mixture into a separate bowl, pressing against the mint leaves to get the most liquid out of them. Return the milk cream mixture to the saucepan. Add sugar and salt to the mixture. Heat until just steaming again, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat.

Whisk the egg yolks in a medium sized bowl. Slowly pour the heated milk cream mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly so that the egg yolks are tempered by the warm mixture, but not cooked by it. Scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.

Return the saucepan to the stove, stirring the mixture constantly over medium heat with a wooden spoon, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spoon. This can take about 10 minutes.

Pour the custard through the strainer (used for the mint leaves) and stir into the cold cream (that has been in the refrigerator) to stop the cooking.

 Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator (at least a couple of hours) or stir the mixture in the bowl placed over the ice bath until thoroughly chilled (20 minutes or so).

Once the ice cream has been made in the ice cream maker it should be pretty soft. Gently fold in the finely chopped chocolate. Put in an airtight container and place in the freezer for at least an hour, preferably several hours. If it has been frozen for more than a day, you may need to let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes to soften it before serving.

This ice cream is so good! I will say that it tastes even better sandwiched in between two chocolate chip cookies! If you are making ice cream sandwiches, just make sure the ice cream is soft enough to spread and spread it between two cookies! Wrap the cookies in parchment paper or Saran Wrap and pop them in the freezer for at least 30 minutes. Enjoy!!!!