This recipe for low-fat homemade vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce that has been infused with orange essence is so rich flavorful you won't miss the fat.
Low-Fat Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream with Chocolate Sauce
Yes, yes you can have your ice cream and eat it too.
This recipe makes a rich, but low-fat ice cream, that is then topped with a rich orange-infused dark chocolate sauce. So so good, vanilla, orange, and chocolate. Top with optional chopped peanuts and it's better than another one of my other favorites, a good old fashion drumstick. Because of the fat and calories in those, I like to cut them into half and eat only one half, topped with some fresh fruit, especially strawberries, like I did here...
But I digress.
It's easy to make ice cream at home when you have a new modern self-cranking ice cream maker. In the "olden" days, you needed to set the ice cream maker up, fill the outside bucket with ice and salt and then stand and crank away. Ah, the nostalgia of those hot summer days.
Now, you can either buy a fully automated one like this Cuisinart, that requires no ice, and no salt
or a modern version of the old fashioned one
It still requires salt and ice but does all the cranking for you.
Both of them deliver freshly churned ice cream with excellent texture.
Don't have an ice cream maker and don't want to buy one? No worries, I give you an alternative method to make this delish ice cream combo.
Low-Fat Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream with Chocolate Sauce
Ingredients
- For the Ice Cream
- 3 cups fat-free half and half
- 1 cup light cream
- ¾ cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- Pinch salt
- For the Chocolate Sauce
- ½ cup fat-free half and half
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 3.5 ounce dark chocolate bars, chopped
- 1 tablespoon orange-flavored liquor such as Grand Marnier
- Chopped toasted peanuts or almonds (optional)
Instructions
- Make the Ice Cream: Stir together the fat-free half and half and cream; remove ½ cup. Heat the remaining 3 ½ cups along with the sugar and a pinch of salt in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat, whisking/stirring often until steaming hot but not boiling (do not boil).
- Meanwhile, in a medium-sized bowl, whisk the reserved ½ cup cream mixture with the cornstarch until well blended; whisk in the egg yolks until smooth, set aside.
- When the half and half/cream mixture is steaming, take about 1 cup of hot liquid and incorporate it slowly into the cornstarch/egg yolk mixture (temper it), whisking constantly. When smooth, whisk egg yolk mixture back into the saucepan.
- Whisking constantly over medium heat, cook the custard until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 10 minutes. Custard is done when a line remains when a finger is drawn across the back of the spoon. Remove from the heat; stir in the vanilla then strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a clean bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto the custard to prevent it from forming a skin. Refrigerate until cold.
- Remove the custard from the refrigerator and pour into an ice cream maker, process according to manufacturer's directions. Transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze for about 1 hour or longer, until firm but not hard. (If you don't have an ice cream maker, transfer the cooled custard to a container and freeze. After about an hour, mix vigorously, then return to the freezer.)
- Make the Chocolate Sauce: In a heavy saucepan; combine the cornstarch, half and half and cream; whisk until well combined. Over medium-low heat, heat slowly until it just begins to steam; add the chocolate and stir until melted and the mixture has thickened slightly. Remove from the heat and stir in the orange liquor.
- To Serve: Scoop out the ice cream into an ice cream dish, and spoon the hot chocolate sauce over. Top with chopped peanuts or almonds if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Photo Credit: robstark/123RF
Candice Barrett
Hello thank you for the recipe. How many servings does this recipe make? And what consists of a serving (half cup, cup etc)?
LindySez
Candice, there are 8 servings to this ice cream recipe @ 1/2 cup each which is what I consider a serving, but for that amount of calories, splurge if you want to 🙂 The chocolate sauce calories is based on 2 tablespoons of sauce. Cheers ~ Lindy