Chocolate Cinnamon Orange Zest Ice Cream

I've often fantasized about being a contestant on Top Chef, though mostly because I want to hang out with Tom and Padma. Now I will be competing in the next best thing... Foodie Fights! Each week, six food bloggers duke it out with their most creative culinary creations to compete for Internet fame. Normally, the challenges involve making something out of two seemingly mismatched ingredients like sesame seed and tropical fruit or dandelion and parmesan. But this week's challenge is a little different: frozen desserts. In other words, it's going to be really embarrassing if the girl with the ice cream blog doesn't win. 

UPDATE: Frozen Fix won the popular vote with 50% of the votes! Both judges named the recipe runner-up, which unfortunately, was not enough points to take home the gold. Check out how the competition stacked up and the judges broke it down. Thanks to everyone who voted!

I wanted to do a flavor that wasn't too bizarre, but that no one has probably ever tried. I also wanted to do chocolate, because seriously, who doesn't love chocolate? The the spice of the cinnamon, bitterness of the dark chocolate, and the citrus of the orange zest blend together in one sinfully decadent note. 

Recipe:

Yield: 1 quart

1 1/2 cups whole milk

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

6 egg yolks

6 oz. (or two bars) dark chocolate

1 tablespoon freshly-grated orange zest (plus extra for garnish)

Combine milk, cream, sugar, and cinnamon in a saucepan over medium heat and stir. In a separate bowl, whip egg yolks. Just before the milk begins to simmer, add about half the mixture to the bowl of egg yolks half a cup at a time, stirring constantly. Gradually pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan. Continue to stir until liquid thickens into a custard and coats the back of a spoon. Add broken up bits of chocolate to a large bowl. Pout the hot custard over the chocolate and stir until it melts and is fully incorporated. It may help to use an electric hand mixer to blend it together. Chill the custard using an ice bath or refrigeration. Stir in freshly-grated orange zest. Pour custard into ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions.  Garnish with orange zest.