Double chocolate ice cream

Method

1. Reserve 100g of the chocolate for adding to the ice cream later on, and tip the remaining 200g into a heatproof bowl. Scald the milk, double cream and sugar in a saucepan. Pour over the chocolate and stir until dissolved. Leave on one side until cool.

2. Whisk the egg yolks until pale and creamy with an electric whisk, or in a food mixer.

3. Place the sugar in a small pan and pour over the water. Dissolve the sugar, over a moderate heat, stirring occasionally. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes.

4. Pour the hot syrup onto the beaten egg yolks, in a thin steady stream, whisking as you go.

5. Continue whipping until the egg yolk mixture has thickened and is mousse-like - it should take about 5 minutes on top speed.

6. Stir the cooled chocolate cream, add the reserved chocolate chips and stir to blend everything together. Pour into an ice cream churner and churn until frozen. Alternatively, you could freeze the mixture in the freezer, beating it every hour or so to break up any ice crystals and ensure that the chocolate chips are evenly mixed in.

7. Transfer into a plastic tub and cover with a well-fitting lid. When you're ready to serve, take the ice cream out of the freezer and leave at room temperature for about 10 minutes before scooping out and serving.

Variations, add a dash of your favourite liqueur for an extra-special flavour - orange liqueur, Madeira, cognac and rum are good choices. Don't add too much though, otherwise the ice cream won't set properly.

Soak 100g raisins in your favourite liqueur for 2-3 hours, and add to the ice cream mixture before freezing.

Toasted nuts add a crunchy texture - almonds, pecans and pistachios go particularly well with the rich chocolate flavour.