I love mint flavored baked goods, confections and ice cream. It’s one of those flavors that can draw the line down a room pretty quickly and for those that don’t like it – they really, really don’t like it. I hear echoes of analogies to toothpaste, lozengers or worse – even comparisons to menthol cigarettes — yeah, definitely not very appetizing.
For me, mint ice cream (especially mint chocolate chip), was one of those flavors I simply loved. In my younger days, all mint ice cream was made in that kitschy retro pale green color – but that’s not the case anymore. Today you can find mint ice cream in white or even pink colors, reminiscent of peppermint sticks.
When deciding on the ice cream flavor to make for the holidays, I really wanted to make something minty — it’s so appropriate for the holidays. I had made quite a few baked goods for the season and had some brownies and ganache left over — so waste not want not — I decided to add the brownie pieces along with swirls of rich fudgy ganache to the ice cream as well. Boy, this was going to be good.
I only use peppermint oil and not the extract. I find that the oil gives you a cleaner flavor without an artificial after taste. The goal was to have a nice minty color and flavor without it being too overpowering. The semifreddo base that I use can be easily tweaked to transform into just about any flavor, and this delicious mint and chocolate creation has proven its versatility once again.
Mint Brownie Fudge Swirl Semifreddo
1 recipe semifreddo base (ingredients listed below, but click on this link for instructions)
Semifreddo Base
6 yolks
¼ cup powdered sugar
1 ¼ cups heavy cream
¼ cup powdered sugar
4 drops of green food coloring
3-4 drops peppermint oil
2 cups brownie pieces **use store bought if you prefer
1 cup quick ganache
1 medium sized lidded container
Follow the instructions on the link above to make the semifreddo base. Add the coloring and the peppermint oil and whisk until it is all incorporated and you no longer see any streaks of green color. At this point, taste this and decide if it is minty enough for you. Add some more peppermint oil if you would like more, but add it carefully, just a little at a time until you are pleased with it.
Pour half of the ice cream into your container. Top this with half of the brownies and the ganache fudge and repeat with the other half of the ice cream. Use a spoon to mix it all together and then cover and freeze for at least 4 hours or overnight.
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