Ice Cream in the Winter

Espresso Ice Cream

Hot summer days are still months away but one of the pleasures of summer, ice cream, is readily available and easy to make with the right recipe and equipment. It all started with a pre-Christmas shopping trip to Marshall's. They had refurbished Cuisinart ice cream makers that looked like too much fun to pass up. I was with my chef and fiance Bill and we looked at the wonderful stainless steel gadget as a welcome addition to our very humble kitchen. The gadget came home and sat at the end of the counter for a few weeks before I decided to try some lemon sorbet. The recipe that came with the maker was awful. There was too much sugar and it didn't freeze properly. I don't like kitchen disasters and it took almost 5 weeks for me to try again.

This time I wasn't taking any chances, I adapted an espresso ice cream recipe from a cookbook checked out of the local library and a custard recipe handed down from a relative. The recipe uses light cream, lots of fresh eggs, pure vanilla powder and instant espresso. Let me know what you think. Monica

Winter Espresso Ice Cream

3 cups light cream

a pinch of kosher salt
5 egg yolks
2/3 cup sugar
4 teaspoons espresso powder
1 1/2 tablespoons hot water
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla powder or 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

In the bowl of a standing mixer combine the egg yolks, sugar and salt. Whisk egg mixture until creamy. In a small bowl mix the espresso powder and hot water together and slowly add to the egg mixture with the whisk running on low. Turn the mixer off and prepare the cream. Heat the cream in a saucepan on medium/low heat until it begins to steam and form bubbles around the edges. If you are using vanilla powder whisk that into the cream (pure vanilla users wait until you have completed the cooking process).  Now turn your mixer back on (low) and slowly pour the heated cream into the eggs.  Then return the entire mixture to the pan on low to low medium heat.  Be very careful to contantly stir and not let the mixture become too hot.  It it does the eggs will cook and you will have an awful mess of expensive cream and clumps of cooked egg.

Once the mixture begins to thicken take it off the heat.  I put mine back in the mixer bowl and set it into the snow outside to cool before putting it in the fridge to chill overnight.  I also whisked it every 20 minutes to keep a skin from forming and to get it to cool evenly.

After your ice cream mix is thoroughly chilled freeze according to manufacturers instructions.