Ad Hoc at Home: Coffee Ice Cream

I can definitely recommend this recipe as being easy and completely delicious. If you make it, also plan to make something that uses 10 egg whites. I think this would be cute served with Famous Chocolate Wafers, don’t you? I didn’t have those so just used some chocolate shavings.

Coffee Ice Cream
From Ad Hoc at Home, by Thomas Keller
Makes a generous 1 quart
Printable version
3 tablespoons coffee beans
2 cups whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup plus 6 tablespoons granulated sugar (dividied)

10 large egg yolks
Pinch of kosher salt

Place the coffee beans in a small ziploc bag and crush them roughly with a malett or rolling pin ( you only need to split each bean into 2-3 pieces). Pour the milk and cream into a large saucepan, add the coffee beans and 1/2 cup of the sugar, and bring to just under a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar; a skin will form on top and the liquid should just begin to bubble. Remove the pan from the heat and let steep, uncovered, for 1 hour.

Return the pan to the heat and heat until the milk is just below the simmer.

Meanwhile, whisk the remaining 6 tablespoons sugar and the yolks in a bowl until slightly thickened and the whisk leaves a trail. Slowly, while whisking, add about 1/2 cup of the hot milk mixture to the yolks, then whisk in the remaining milk mixture. Set a fine-mesh basket strainer over a clean saucepan and strain the liquid into the pan; discard the coffee beans.

Prepare an ice bath in a large bowl. Set a medium bowl in the ice bath; have a strainer ready.

Put the saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom and sides often with a wooden spoon, until steam begins to rise from the surface and the custard thickens enough to coat the spoon. Strain into the blow, add the salt, and let cool, strirring from time to time.

Refrigerate until cold or, preferably, overnight.

Pour the custard into an ice cream machine and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions. When the texture is “soft serve,” transfer to a storage container and freeze to harden. (The ice cream is best eaten with a day, but can be made several days ahead).