Bay leaf chip is mint chip’s sophisticated cousin from the back of the pantry. Bay leaf’s minty and woodsy fragrance meets dark chocolate in a nod to the nostalgia of mint chip ice cream. It’s my direct response to people who say “bay leaf has no flavor”. Steeping bay leaves in cream unlocks its layers of complex flavor— think herbal eucalyptol, warm and spicy eugenol, plus woody citrusy terpineol and cymene.
What’s the difference between dry and fresh bay leaf?
Did you know dry bay leaves and fresh bay leaves comes from two different tree species?
Dry bay leaf is typically from Laurus nobilis, AKA Mediterranean bay laurel. The book Science of Spice by Stuart Farrimond explains “Bay’s flavour oils are deep within the leaf, which explains why dried leaves are still effective.” The primary flavor terpenes found in Mediterranean bay is eucalyptol, which has a cooling eucalyptus scent as the name might suggest. Subtler flavor compounds include terpineol, a woodsy compound also found in pine, and cymene’s citrusy notes.
Fresh bay leaf comes from Umbellularia californica, AKA California bay laurel. Where I live in the California Bay Area it’s a plentiful native plant, making it easy to identify and forage. Look for smooth and narrow leaves with a central vein. Its spicy, peppery aroma when crushed is unmistakable. California bay contains a high concentration of umbellulone, a camphor-like flavor compound that isn’t present in the Mediterranean kind. For that reason, I typically use half the quantity of fresh bay leaves in place of dry since it has a more pungent flavor.
Both dry and fresh bay leaves work well in this recipe.
Ingredients (and substitutions!)
- Whole milk – The base of the ice cream. Whole milk with a milkfat content of 3.5% was used to calculate the milkfat percentage of the final ice cream (11.5%).
- Heavy cream – I used heavy cream with 36% milkfat (typical in the US). Milkfat is essential to provide a smooth mouthfeel and creamy texture. This ice cream is slightly lower fat than my other recipes for a lighter and cleaner flavor.
- Dark chocolate – I used a 54% cacao dark chocolate for a result that’s not too bitter and not too sweet. Feel free to substitute milk chocolate or a darker chocolate based on your preference.
- Coconut oil – Coconut oil’s high melting temperature allows the chocolate to melt more easily in the mouth and smoother scooping. It’s fine to omit if you don’t have any on hand.
- Sucrose – Better known as good old granulated sugar. The main source of sweetness in this recipe.
- Dextrose – Dextrose is a simple sugar, chemically identical to glucose. It’s less sweet than sucrose and lowers the freezing point of the ice cream for a softer, more scoopable texture.
- Skim milk powder – Skim milk powder adds protein and non-fat milk solids, which improve creaminess, reduce ice crystals, and enhance the overall texture.
- Locust bean gum – Locust bean gum is a plant-derived stabilizer that inhibits ice crystal formation to maintain a smooth texture. Substitute an equal amount of your favorite ice cream stabilizer blend or 2 egg yolks + 10g cornstarch dissolved in 20g cold milk.
- Kosher salt – This recipe was tested with Diamond Crystal kosher salt, use half the amount of sea salt or iodized salt.
- Bay leaves – Both dry and fresh work well in this recipe. Use half the amount of fresh bay leaves in place of dry.
Bay Leaf Chip Ice Cream
Ingredients
Ice Cream Base
- 500 g whole milk
- 240 mL heavy cream
- 120 g sucrose AKA granulated sugar
- 20 g dextrose sub 40g light corn syrup or 20g sucrose
- 30 g skim milk powder
- 1 g locust bean gum sub 2 large egg yolks + 10g cornstarch dissolved in 20g cold milk
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 6 dried bay leaves sub 3 fresh bay leaves
Chocolate Chip Drizzle
- 85 g dark chocolate
- 10 g coconut oil okay to omit if you don't have it
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine 120 g sucrose, 20 g dextrose, and 1 g locust bean gum. Stir to disperse the stabilizer.
- In a saucepot, combine 500 g whole milk, 240 mL heavy cream, 120 g sucrose, 20 g dextrose, 30 g skim milk powder, 1 g locust bean gum, 1/4 tsp kosher salt, and 6 dried bay leaves. Add egg yolks and cornstarch slurry at this stage if substituting and whisk well to incorporate.
- Create an ice bath with by filling a large bowl halfway with ice and water. Heat the mixture over medium heat to 165F, stirring frequently. Maintain at 165F for 5 minutes for locust bean gum stabilizer to fully hydrate. If using egg yolks and cornstarch, heat mixture to 200F for cornstarch to fully gelatinize then remove from heat immediately.
- Transfer the cooked ice cream base to a bowl. Place bowl over the ice bath to cool. Once cool, cover and set in the fridge overnight, ideally at least 8 hours to develop body and flavor.
- Strain out the bay leaves and churn the ice cream base according to machine directions. When the ice cream base is almost done churning, melt 85 g dark chocolate in a microwave or over a double boiler. Stir in 10 g coconut oil until fully incorporated. When the ice cream texture resembles soft serve, pour melted chocolate directly into the ice cream machine. The paddle will break the chocolate into "chips" as it hardens. Pour in a thin stream for chocolate "freckles" or pour quickly for more traditional chocolate chips.
- Transfer to an airtight container and freeze for 4 hours to fully solidify.
Sources
Farrimond, S. (2018). The Science of Spice: Understand Flavor Connections and revolutionize your cooking. DK Publishing.
Sigal, A. (2015). Comparing bay leaves. The Uncarved Block. https://andrewsigal.blogspot.com/2015/08/comparing-bay-leaves.html
Tabanca, N., Avonto, C., Wang, M., Parcher, J. F., Ali, A., Demirci, B., Raman, V., & Khan, I. A. (2013). Comparative investigation of Umbellularia californica and laurus nobilis leaf essential oils and identification of constituents active against AEDES AEGYPTI. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 61(50), 12283–12291. https://doi.org/10.1021/jf4052682
Yet another fantastic ice cream recipe, Mei’s recipes have sparked a passion in me for making unconventionally flavoured ice creams and stepping out of my comfort zone :)) I used glucose syrup as a 1:1 sub for the corn syrup and it worked perfectly (aussie groceries dont sell corn syrup). My bay leaves were suuuuper old so the flavour was more subtle, but I absolutely love this ice cream and the flavour they infused into the ice cream made me nostalgic for the bread sauce my mum makes with bay leaves. What a treat, amazing work Mei!!