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• 1/2 cup half and half
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 cups lightly packed chocolate mint or peppermint leaves

• 1 cup half and half
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 3/4 cup sugar
• pinch salt
• pure peppermint oil (not extract, see note)

• 5 egg yolks

• 1 cup chopped chocolate (I used Valrhona 56%, chopped with a chef's knife into 1/4 inch pieces - and one and one half 3 oz bars made exactly one cup of chips)

1. In a small saucepan, heat the 1/2 cup cream and 1/2 cup half and half with the mint leaves, stirring constantly, until it's good and hot but not boiling. (You can just touch it lightly with your finger to test it.)

1. Set aside the mint and cream mixture to steep for at least 30 mins. Press the mint leaves against the side of the pan to extract the flavor, and stir the pan a couple of times during cooling to prevent a skin from forming on the milk.

1. When you're ready to make the custard, put the remaining cream and half and half in a saucepan with the sugar and a dash of salt. Heat, stirring constantly, until hot but not boiling.

1. Temper in the egg yolks - add a little of the mixture to the yolks and whisk it in to warm the yolks, then add the yolk mixture back to the saucepan and whisk together gently. Cook the custard over medium heat for about ten minutes, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until it makes an opaque coating on the back of the spoon and your finger leaves a trail when drawn through it. If you have a thermometer, it should be about 170 degrees.

1. Strain the hot custard into a bowl, then strain the mint-cream into the same bowl, pressing down on the mint to extract all the juices.
2. Take the peppermint oil and drip one or two drops into the cap of the bottle, then dip a toothpick in the oil and swish it through the custard mixture. (Trust me, this is all it takes!)

1. Chill until cold, either in an ice water bath or the refrigerator, and churn in an ice cream maker. When you put the ice cream in to churn - chop your chocolate, place it in a bowl, and leave in the freezer for a few minutes, until the ice cream is done.
2. When the ice cream is frozen, add the frozen chocolate chips - either by sprinkling them in a little bit at a time while the machine is running (if possible) or stirring them in immediately after freezing.

I bought mine (peppermint oil) at Henry's - it's an essential oil, which they carry in the cosmetics section. I'm pretty sure you can also buy it at Whole Foods.

Makes 1 quart, plus one extra serving for the cook!