Mochi Ice Cream

This summer, instead of buying flowers and wine to bring as hostess gifts, I want to try to go more richless chic and make homemade stuff instead. One of the projects I had in mind was mocha ice cream. With how expensive they are (about $6 for a six pack?!?!?! Wtf) and very limited flavours of green tea, strawberry, vanilla and chocolate, I thought I can create more combos that can really one up the store bought ones. Luckily for me (please note the sarcasm), Leroy is willing to let me use him as a guinea pig for the different combinations I want to test. So let me start with some chocolaty ones…

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup (Makes about 8-10)

Makings:

1 pack of hot chocolate

½ cup of glutinous rice dough (can be found in Asian grocers)

½ cup of room temperature water

Peanut butter ice cream

Cupcake pan

Flat work surface/cutting board

Doings:

Make sure the ice cream you're working with is rock solid hard. Take an ice cream scoop to roll ice cream into little scoops, probably about the size of a golf ball. Make sure it's really really compact. Put back into the freezer to re-freeze from all the handling. Freeze the cupcake pan too. All the frozen work should be done about an hour prior to the start of the dough.

Mix the hot chocolate packet with the rice flour evenly then pour the water into the mixture. Mix well, then pop into microwave for about 2 minutes, while covered. Take the dough out to mix again and pop back into microwave for another 30 seconds. Let the dough chill for about half an hour.

Dust any working surface with flour, including your hands. Divide the dough into 8-10 pieces, and roll out into thin sheets to cover the ice cream ball completely. This is the hardest part of the project, covering the balls in timely manner without melting the ice cream too much. Seal the seam with more sough and water mixture. Put the mocha ice cream seam down, into the cupcake pan and back into the freezer to refreeze the ice cream.

The mocha ice cream will be frozen solid and should be defrosted in the fridge about half an hour prior to serving.

Alternative flavor combo: Mexican Chocolate dough with Mint Chocolate Ice Cream.

Substitute the chocolate dough with this combo:

1 pack of hot chocolate

2 table spoons of unsweetened cocoa powder

½ teaspoon of cinnamon

½ cup of glutinous rice dough

½ cup of room temperature water

The mint chocolate chip ice cream enhances the slight heat of the cinnamon in the chocolate dough.

Some other ideas I want to test out later…

Rosewater dough + middle eastern egg-y ice cream (For mom)

Chocolate dough + mango sorbet (for me)

Caramel dough + snickers ice cream + crushed peanut dusting

When the blackberries come in later this Summer, I think hey will be great garnishes for the chocolaty ones.

Got any suggestions of other flavor combinations?

And if anyone wants to get me an ice cream maker, I want to Emeril this shit up with some booze yall.