Chocolate Sesame Ice Cream with Tahini

It is fascinating that every family has its own unique food culture.  Each person’s preferences and quirks all come together to create this culinary superpersonality that resides in the kitchen.  Our’s is named Charles.  Like Charles from MASH, a show for which we have an odd obsession.  Both of these Charles are fussy and arrogant. Charles is the presence that demands peanut butter in savory dishes.  Only savory dishes.  Not sweet ones.  He definitely eschews the classic chocolate and peanut butter combination.  Charles declares that no whole or chopped raw tomatoes are to be used.  Tomatoes have to be pureed into a state that shows no sign that a whole tomato fruit with pulp and seeds and insides actually existed.  Charles is squeamish around raw mushrooms, but not cooked ones.  Charles will eat green apples raw, but never ever cooked, which means no apple pie.  You get the picture.  I personally had a recent craving for chocolate and peanut butter.  But our friend Charles wouldn’t be into that.  It occurred to me that tahini, a preferred ingredient of his, can sort of act like peanut butter.  And though it may have started out as a compromise dessert, letting me curb my craving for chocolate and peanut butter without actually subjecting Seth, I mean “Charles,” to being in proximity to said combination, it became something more.  The tahini lends a wonderfully subtle earthiness to the chocolate, while the roasted sesame seeds became fun little crispy surprises with each bite.  It came into its own, satisfying everyone.  Even Charles.

Ingredients
1 cup whole milk
6-8 ounces good chocolate, chopped
1/3 cup cocoa powder
pinch salt
2/3 cup sugar
2 cups whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup tahini
¼ cup roasted sesame seeds

Ingredients
In a large microwaveable bowl, whisk together the milk, chocolate, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt.  Microwave gently in 20 second intervals, stirring between each one.  Once the chocolate has melted completely, stir in cream, vanilla, and tahini.  Chill.  Place in ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer’s directions.  Stir in the sesame seeds when the ice cream is about 2/3 of the way churned.  Finish churning, then eat!