Coffee Ice Cream

Below you'll find a simple, delicious recipe for homemade coffee ice cream. I've made a lot of ice cream flavours– from rosemary to vanilla, dulce de leche to mint chip. There's none that I come back to more frequently than this coffee ice cream. There's something about the rich flavour of coffee softened by sugar and cream that makes this flavor irresistible.

Here's what you'll need:

• Heavy cream
• Milk
• Brown Sugar
• Espresso Powder
• Instant Coffee
• Egg Yolks
• Vanilla extract (optional)
• Sea salt
• Coffee flavoured liqueur (optional)

The Process:

The beauty of ice cream lies in its simplicity. Whisk the ingredients together and pour into your ice cream maker. That's it! (I have added additional instructions if you choose to add egg yolks and want to cook them.) Let the ice cream harden completely in the freezer for a few hours before scooping for best results.

Coffee Ice Cream

Equipment

• Ice Cream Machine

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup sugar
• 1.5 Tbsp espresso powder
• 1 Tbsp instant coffee
• 2 egg yolks
• Pinch of sea salt
• Optional splash of coffee liqueur like Kahlua or Mr. Black

Eggless/Raw Yolk Instructions:

1. Warm 1 cup of heavy cream in a saucepan until bubbles form along the edges. Whisk in brown sugar, espresso powder and instant coffee until melted and no grains remain. Remove from heat.
2. Whisk in remaining 1/2 cup of heavy cream, milk, and salt. Whisk in 2 egg yolks. Add vanilla extract and, optionally, a splash of coffee liqueur and whisk to combine. Cover and chill in the fridge until your ice cream maker is ready. Churn in ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions.
3. Place in freezer safe container and freeze for a minimum of 4 hours to allow your ice cream to harden. Enjoy!

Tempered Yolk Instructions:

1. Combine milk and 1 cup cream in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Stirring occasionally, heat until bubbles start to form around the edges.
2. While the cream mixture is heating, combine the egg yolks and the remaining 1/2 cup cream in a heatproof bowl. Whisk until smooth.
3. Temper the egg yolks by very slowly pouring half the hot cream mixture into the egg mixture while whisking constantly. Pour this mixture back into the saucepan.
4. Whisk in the sugar, espresso powder and instant coffee.
5. Continue cooking the mixture on low heat, stirring frequently, until it reaches a temperature of 185°F. If you don't have a food thermometer, the mixture is ready when it has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. Never allow the mixture to boil.
6. Cover and chill in the fridge until the mixture is very cold. At least 6 hours in the fridge, or 30 minutes in the freezer, for best results.
7. Prepare your ice cream maker. Just before churning, add sea salt, vanilla extract and coffee liqueur. Whisk to combine. Churn in ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions.
8. Place in freezer safe container and freeze for a minimum of 4 hours to allow your ice cream to harden. Enjoy!

Notes:

• You can omit the eggs. If you choose to do so, it's best to eat the ice cream within the next day or two. Without the added fat, it tends to crystalize faster.
• I've found combining all my ingredients directly in a large liquid measuring cup makes it easiest to pour the base into the ice cream maker.
• Start the churning on your ice cream maker just before you pour in the ingredients.
• Your ice cream will be soft serve consistency when it is done churning - do not fear! It will continue to harden in the freezer.
• The ice cream machine I personally recommend is the Lello Musso Lussino 1.5 QT ice cream maker. It's expensive but it makes great ice cream, is made of stainless steel (no plastic!) and has it's own compressor, which mean you don't have to make room in your freezer for a giant bowl. If you aren't ready to spring for a Lello, I've heard great things about the Cuisinart 1.5QT ice cream maker. It will require you to freeze the bowl 24 hours before making ice cream, though.