When I was a kid growing up in puritanical New England, dessert was a seldom-seen treat. When temptation raised its devilish head, a few scoops of unadulterated ice cream were allowed and served forth without much fanfare. Our reward was often coffee ice cream, curiously one of the few “adult” flavors that kids seem to like as much as grown-ups. And in case you’re feeling sorry for my dessert-deprived childhood, not to worry; I’m definitely making up for lost time nowadays.

　　

Ingredients

makes about 1 quart (1 liter)

　　1 1/2 cups (375 ml) whole milk

　　3/4 cup (150 g) sugar

　　1 1/2 cups (125 g) whole coffee beans

　　Pinch of salt

　　1 1/2 cups (375 ml) heavy cream

　　5 large egg yolks

　　1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

　　1/4 teaspoon finely ground coffee

　　

Step 1

Warm the milk, sugar, whole coffee beans, salt, and 1/2 cup (125 ml) of the cream in a medium saucepan. Once the mixture is warm, cover, remove from the heat, and let steep at room temperature for 1 hour.

　　

Step 2

Rewarm the coffee-infused milk mixture. Pour the remaining 1 cup (250 ml) cream into a large bowl and set a mesh strainer on top. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm coffee mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.

　　

Step 3

Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula. Pour the custard through the strainer and stir it into the cream. Press on the coffee beans in the strainer to extract as much of the coffee flavor as possible, then discard the beans. Mix in the vanilla and the finely ground coffee and stir until cool over an ice bath.

　　

Step 4

Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

　　

Perfect Pairing

Step 5

Make Coffee Ice Cream Brownie Sundaes by topping Brownies (pages 220 and 221) with scoops of Coffee Ice Cream, then spooning Mocha Sauce (page 166) over the top, and finishing with a final flourish of French Almonds (page 189).

　　The Perfect Scoop