Coffee Ice Cream (old-fashioned recipe)
Sweet and creamy, this old-fashioned coffee ice cream is the perfect iced coffee substitute for Summer and makes great frappuccinos.
Servings 6 servings
Ingredients
- ½ cup whole milk
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream
- ½ cup toasted ground coffee from coffee beans if possible, no sugar added
- 4 egg yolks
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon coffee liqueur optional
Instructions
- Heat ½ cup whole milk and 1 ½ cups heavy cream in a medium saucepan until small bubbles appear on the outer rim.
- Remove from heat, add ½ cup toasted ground coffee (or crushed beans), stir to mix, cover (if you don’t have a lid use a plate), and let infuse for 30 minutes. Strain through a fine mesh colander, discard coffee granules and reserve.
- In a bowl, beat 4 egg yolks and ¼ cup light brown sugar until somewhat light, about 2 minutes. Heat the cream mixture again, adding 2 tablespoons powdered sugar. When it is very hot, but not boiling, add it gradually to the egg yolks, beating continuously. Do this slowly so the eggs don’t cook in the milk.
- Return the whole mixture to the same pan where the milk was, and cook, stirring permanently, over low heat, until it begins to thicken. A finger drawn across the mixture will leave a clear path on the back of a spoon. Do not boil or expect it to thicken like custard.
- Strain this mixture into a clean bowl through a fine mesh strainer. If using, add 1 tablespoon coffee liqueur. Let cool for about half an hour, then cover and chill for at least 8 hours or overnight.
- Freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions. Transfer to a freezer-proof container and freeze.
- Serve with cocoa nibs and/or chocolate sauce if you want.
Notes
The flavor of this espresso ice cream is deep and not too sweet. So if you like coffee on the light side, like a Vietnamese iced coffee, latte, or cappuccino, use ¼ to ⅓ cup of ground coffee beans.
If you don’t have an ice cream maker, make the custard or mixture and freeze it for about 2 hours, or more, until it starts to solidify (this will depend a lot on the container you use to freeze it and the temperature, so the first time it will be a trial and error). Take it out, and put the almost frozen mixture in the bowl of the food processor, in chunks. Process it until it becomes smooth again. Take it back to the freezer for a couple of hours. Repeat the process two or three more times.
