In celebration of summer: coffee ice cream

We spent memorial day weekend at the beach (with everyone else in Manhattan). Luckily, the weather was glorious and we were staying within walking distance of a town and didn't need to get in a car and sit in traffic much.

Our dog enjoyed long walks on the beach and we explored the local restaurants and shops. I stumbled upon a wonderful little antique store full of treasures for the food stylist at heart and ended up with a treasure trove of random flatware pieces, bowls and odds and ends and along with them, some new photo ideas.

My one major desire for the weekend was to indulge in some local ice cream. Believe-it-or-not, the "best" ice cream parlor in town (according to the locals) was constantly packed and it wasn't until Monday evening that the line died down to a tolerable wait. I guess I wasn't the only person who had ice cream on the brain. I was reminded of an amazing ice cream recipe that I took straight from Martha last fall and have been saving sharing for a more appropriate season. In celebration of the coming of summer, here it is: coffee ice cream.

Coffee is my favorite flavor (with mint chocolate chip and cookie dough close runners up). I used to think making your own ice cream was a bit over the top but it turns out (I guess as with most other things) that fresh, homemade ice cream is so sublimely superior to store-bought that short of going to a local dairy, it's pretty hard to beat.

What was particularly wonderful about the ice cream I made, is that I got the brewed espresso from my favorite artisanal coffee shop. The gave me a slightly puzzled look when I asked for the espresso to be measured in a measuring cup I brought and then put into a ziploc storage container - but they obliged and it served as the critical flavoring component of the ice cream. If you don't know how to make a good cup of espresso (or don't have the beans / equipment on hand) don't take a shortcut with instant - the real thing makes all the difference.

Coffee ice cream (from Martha Stewart Living)
(Makes 6 cups)

2 cups whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brewed espresso
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
8 large egg yolks

Prepare an ice-water bath. Combine milk, cream, 1/2 cup sugar, the espresso, and vanilla in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.

Meanwhile, whisk together egg yolks and remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a bowl.

Gradually whisk half the hot milk mixture into the egg-yolk mixture. Pour egg-yolk mixture into saucepan, and whisk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Pour through a fine sieve into a heatproof bowl set in ice-water bath. Let cool, stirring occasionally. Place plastic wrap on surface of custard to prevent a skin from forming, and refrigerate 2 hours.

Freeze in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to an airtight container, and freeze for at least 1 hour before serving.

"No ice cream maker" green tea ice cream

I think I broke some kind of cooking record this week. I made the same recipe four times. Green tea ice cream. The first time I made it, it was so good I wished I had made more. I also couldn't believe how easy it was, and that it did not require an ice cream maker. I found the recipe in one of my new Harumi cookbooks, and I had all the ingredients on hand (eggs, sugar, milk, cream) except for the matcha powder, which was easy enough to find. I've never cooked with matcha powder before. It's a very fine powder similar in consistency to talc and is made from dried, de-stemmed, de-veined, stone-ground green tea leaves. It's so delicate that you worry that one wrong breath will send it flying across the room in a green cloud.

I just had to see if I could improve upon the recipe by using high-quality, high fat, heavy cream and milk, and whether it would make a difference if I processed the ice cream in an ice cream maker. When I switched from conventional store-bought milk and cream to Ronnybrook heavy cream and creamline milk (not ultra-pasteurized and not homogenized, high in fat). I got a very creamy ice cream, but it was very soft even after freezing for a day. I did some research and found this article on David Lebovitz' blog that explains the higher the fat content, the softer the ice cream. Surprisingly, I would rather have harder ice cream at the expense of less creaminess (and it was wonderfully creamy the first time around anyway) and would stick to the conventional milk and cream.

Processing it in an ice cream maker, which is supposed to make lighter and creamer ice cream, did not seem to change the texture, but it did make things marginally easier. When making ice cream in the freezer, you have to vigorously stir the ice cream every couple of hours to break up any ice particles that form to ensure maximum creaminess. This is simple, but requires some monitoring. Apparently, custard-based ice creams can easily be made without an ice cream maker. I might not do it this way every time, but it was kinda fun and low tech in a refreshing sort of way.

I loved the recipe and might only make a couple of modifications: 1) heat the milk/cream/sugar/egg mixture over low heat (being careful to not let it come to a boil) until it coats the back of a spoon - most of the other recipes I looked at incorporate this step which gives a little peace of mind about ensuring the eggs are cooked (if, like me, you are concerned about this sort of thing), and thickens it, and 2) strain that mixture through a fine sieve before adding in the lightly whipped cream to make sure it's perfectly smooth.

Another tip I learned is to chill the final mixture in the refrigerator for an hour or two before freezing it. A cooler mixture will freeze much more quickly.


Green tea ice cream (adapted from Harumi's Japanese Home Cooking)
(recipe says it serves four but I would double the quantity for four)

2 tablespoons green tea powder (matcha)
2/3 cup granulated sugar
3 egg yolks
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup heavy cream

1. In a small bow, mix the green tea powder with 2 tablespoons granulated sugar.

2. In a separate bowl, mix together the egg yolks and remaining sugar.

3. Pour the milk into a small pan and gently heat taking care not to let it boil (ideally the temperature of the milk should be 176 degrees F). Remove the from the heat and mix a few spoonfuls of the warm milk with the green tea powder and sugar in a small bowl. When you have a smooth paste, add it to the remaining milk in the pan, then gradually combine with the egg yolk mixture.

4. Return mixture to the stove and heat slowly over low heat (taking care to not let the mixture boil), until the mixture coats the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat, strain through a fine sieve, and allow to cool completely.

5. Lightly whip the cream and then add it to the cold green tea-milk mixture.

6. Transfer the mixture to a large container and [chill for an hour or two in the refrigerator] and then put it in the freezer. As ice crystals start to form, remove, and mix well with a spoon (use a wooden spoon and stir very vigorously) to break them up and return the mixture to the freezer. Repeat this a few times as it freezes to ensure that the ice cream is smooth.