Last week in an Open Thread, a reader left an inquiry for Coffee Chip Ice Cream. LED, this one is for you:
Coffee Chip Ice Cream
Makes about 1 quart
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups milk
1/2 cup dark coffee grounds
8 egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
8 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, chopped fine, or 8 oz. mini chocolate chips
In a medium saucepan, heat the espresso powder, cream, milk, and coffee grounds until simmering. Remove from the heat and let stand about 20 minutes.
In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar, until pale yellow. Slowly pour the cream mixture into the egg yolks, whisking until well blended. Return to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens slightly, enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Strain the custard through a fine mesh sieve, cover with plastic wrap that touches the surface of the custard, and chill in refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
Freeze in an ice-cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. When frozen but still soft, transfer the ice cream to a stainless-steel bowl and stir in the chocolate pieces with a spatula. Cover the ice cream tightly with plastic wrap and freeze.
Copyright © 2008 Apartment Therapy
Thank you, thank you, Sara Kate! I will try this for Father's Day. My husband will be thrilled.
Is there a way to do this w/o the yolks?
If you use untempered bitterseet chocolate shards (like in stracciatella) instead of chocolate chips (which have extra waxy stuff in them to maintain their shape when melted) you'll have a much better mouthfeel and taste in your ice cream, because the chocolate will melt more quickly on the tongue.
regards,
trillium
i would be interested in it without the yolk as well. i would much rather have a lower fat ice cream :) maybe subbing in some plain yogurt?
I have yet to find espresso powder in the stores in my area. Is this the same as instant coffee?
If you make the ice cream without the yolks or cream you will end up with a different kind of ice cream. I haven't made this precise recipe, but it's almost identical to any basic custard recipe for ice cream. This one will give you a rich, smooth mouth feel, like a good premium ice cream - Häagen-Dazs, Ben and Jerry's. Also, since most home ice cream makers don't have the power to whip a lot of air into their product, custard ice cream made at home will be rich, with low overrun (amount of air) and therefore comparable to frozen custard or gelato.
If you leave out the yolks and some of the cream, you will get a lower-fat product with an icier, milkier mouth feel - comparable to Breyers or other Philadelphia-style ice creams. These are simpler, since you don't have to cook a custard, but you have to find other ways to get the smoothness you want - without the richness of the egg yolks.
More info than you wanted, probably! :-) But I have been frustrated at times with my home ice cream results, and have found that the most reliable way is to make the richer custards; they make up for any deficiencies on the part of the equipment.