Chocolate Ice Cream with a Marshmallow Fluff Swirl

Moments before devouring...

My kitchen may or may not be splattered with chocolate.  I may or may not have just licked a ice cream maker clean and finished it off with a dollop of marshmallow fluff.  I'm not saying, but if it did happen, it would all be the fault of this man.

The littlest member of our family requested homemade Phish Food ice cream.  Always game for making something with chocolate (duh!), I decided to start off easy and just do the two most important parts (in my mind) - chocolate ice cream with a marshmallow swirl.  I'm not a fan of hard chunks of marshmallow in my ice cream, so the obvious choice was marshmallow fluff.  Let's get started!

After searching the web, I settled on a recipe from Bon Appetit.  The fluff is soft and light, and was delicious on our s'mores pancakes that we devoured on Sunday.  There was plenty for the ice cream and then some (I still have at least 2 cups sitting in my fridge - ideas??)  (Update: In case anyone else is in my predictament - wait, is too much fluff a bad thing? - any extra fluff can be frozen for up to a month per my long and extensive research (a/k/a a quick Google search)).

Marshmallow Fluff
(Bon Appetit)
1 large egg white
2 tbsp. water
1 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Beat egg white in stand mixer (or use electric mixer) until soft peaks begin to form.  Lower speed, then slowly add water.  Once incorporated, add corn syrup.  Increase spread and beat until the mixture is creamy white in color and doubled in volume (approximately 5-6 minutes).  Beat in the sifted sugar, then add the vanilla extract.  Store in an airtight container in the fridge - stir or whisk vigorously before using.
The ice cream recipe was courtesy of The Perfect Scoop.  As always, David Levobitz's ice cream recipes do not disappoint.  The chocolate was deep, dark, thick and A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.  What else could a girl ask for?

Chocolate Ice Cream with a Marshmallow Fluff Swirl
(The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz)
2 cups heavy cream
3 tbsp. unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder (I used Hershey's Special Dark cocoa powder)
5 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped (I used a combination of Ghiradelli and Callebut)
1 cup whole milk
3/4 cup granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
5 large egg yolks
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Warm 1 cup of the cream with the cocoa powder in a medium saucepan, whisking to thoroughly blend the cocoa. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer at a very low boil for 30 seconds, whisking constantly. Remove from the heat and add the chopped chocolate, stirring until smooth. Then stir in the remaining 1 cup cream. Pour the mixture into a large bowl, scraping the saucepan as thoroughly as possible, and set a mesh strainer on top of the bowl.

Warm the milk, sugar, and salt in the same saucepan. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolk. Slowly pour the warm milk into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.

Stir the mixture constantly over the medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula (170-175°F on an instant-read thermometer). Pour the custard through the strainer and stir it into the chocolate mixture until smooth, then stir in the vanilla. Stir until cool over an ice bath.

Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator (at least 8 hours, but preferably overnight), then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. (If the cold mixture is too thick to pour into your machine, whisk it vigorously to thin it out.)

Once the ice cream is frozen, put a layer of chocolate ice cream (approximately 1/3 of the ice cream) at the bottom of your chosen container.  Dollop approximately 1/2 - 3/4 cup marshmallow fluff on top (I tried to pour on as thinly as possible, but there were definitely "blobs").  Repeat twice (a total of six layers).  Take a table knife and swirl gently.  Freeze and enjoy!

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Official Reviews:

The husband: "I f*cking love it."
The princess: "This is better than Ben & Jerry's Phish Food".  [When asked if she would choose Ben & Jerry's or mine, she chose mine!]
The cook: "Stop bothering me, I'm licking the bowl."