Copycat Ben & Jerry’s Phish Food Custard Ice Cream

To Make the Chocolate Custard Ice Cream:

• In a large saucepan, combine the whole milk, heavy cream, milk powder, chopped chocolate, maple syrup, and cocoa powder. Whisk all ingredients together, then place over medium high heat to cook until 110F. Immediately remove from heat.
• Add the egg yolks into a large bowl, then add ¼ cup of the hot milk mixture and immediately whisk. Continue this process two more times to gradually temper the eggs. Whisk the tempered eggs mixture back into the saucepan.
• Place back over medium heat and stir until 170F to 175F, about 5-10 minutes. It should have slightly thickened up and easily coats the back of a spoon.
• Remove from heat to stir in the vanilla. Pour into a heat-safe glass container, then let cool at room temperature for 30 to 45 minutes before transferring to the fridge. Store in the fridge until completely cooled, 4 hours to overnight.
• Add to your ice cream maker and following appliance instructions. I recommend completely this step after both the fudge and soft caramel have been made and semi-frozen for easier layering.

To Make the Chocolate Fudge:

• Combine the chocolate and sweetened condensed milk in a heavy-bottom saucepan. Place over medium heat and stir until smooth. Add the vanilla and stir until the fudge turns a little shiny.
• Either pour into a parchment paper-lined baking pan to slice into bite-sized pieces, or spread evenly into a silicone mini fish mold. Place in the freezer to help firm up for 1 hour prior to layering into the ice cream.

To Make the Soft Caramel Bits:

• (You can use the same saucepan for all components, just clean out and pat dry before next use.)
• In a heavy bottom saucepan, add the sugar. Place over medium heat and stir until fully melted and the sugar turns an amber color, about 8 to 10 minutes.
• Reduce heat to LOW. Add the cubed butter and whisk until smooth. Gradually pour in the heavy cream and add a pinch of salt. Once smooth, stop whisking and let bubble for 1 minute.
• Pour onto a parchment lined baking pan to cool completely, about 30 minutes. Place in the freezer for 30 minutes to 1 hour to firm up and slice with scissors for easier layering.

Begin churning the ice cream (as this will take 30ish minutes). Place in the freezer while you finish prepping components.

For the Homemade Marshmallows:

• In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup COLD water and the gelatin. Whisk until smooth and set aside to bloom for 10 minutes. The mixture should firm up into a blob.
• In a heavy bottom saucepan, add the remaining 1/2 cup water and sugar. Stir until sugar dissolves, then stir occasionally until temperature reads 240F. Immediately pour into a stand mixer bowl fitted with the whisk attachment.
• Add the bloomed gelatin into the stand mixer bowl then whisk on LOW speed until frothy. Increase speed to beat for 8 to 10 minutes, until it looks like marshmallow fluff! Be careful not to over mix like you would normally when making marshmallows or the mixture will be too firm to work with.

To Layer the Custard Ice Cream:

• In your ice cream pint(s), add a small layer of the churned chocolate ice cream, a swirl of marshmallow fluffy, the fudge pieces, and the soft caramel bits. Continue layering until all ice cream is used. Place a small sheet of parchment on top before adding the pint lid. Let firm up in the freezer at least 4 hours before scooping to serve.