An authentic French-style coffee ice cream, made with a custard base infused with whole coffee beans, then churned in an ice cream maker for a dense, smooth, scoop-shop texture.
Ingredients
- 300 ml fresh whole milk
- 200 ml heavy whipping cream
- 45 g medium-roast Arabica whole coffee beans
- 4 pieces fresh egg yolks
- 90 g granulated sugar
- 1 pinch fine salt
Method
- Coarsely crush the coffee beans with the bottom of a heavy saucepan or in a mortar: they should be broken into 2 to 3 mm pieces, not ground into a fine powder.
- Pour the whole milk and heavy cream into a saucepan, add the crushed beans, and heat over low heat for about 5 minutes until gently simmering (around 80 °C / 175 °F). Remove from the heat as soon as tiny bubbles form around the edges.
- Cover the saucepan and let infuse off the heat for 20 minutes, until the liquid takes on a rich beige color.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the granulated sugar and fine salt for 2 minutes until the mixture turns pale and forms a smooth ribbon.
- Strain the warm infusion through a fine-mesh sieve, gently pressing the coffee beans with the back of a spoon for 1 minute, then discard the beans.
- Gradually pour the warm infused milk into the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly for 1 minute to temper the eggs without curdling them.
- Pour the mixture back into a clean saucepan and cook over low heat for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring constantly in figure-eight motions with a heatproof spatula, until the custard reaches 82 °C to 84 °C (180 °F to 183 °F) on a thermometer: the custard should coat the spatula, and a line drawn with your finger should stay clean without running.
- Immediately remove from the heat and strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a cold container. Let cool for 30 minutes at room temperature, press plastic wrap directly onto the surface, then refrigerate at 4 °C (40 °F) for at least 4 hours until thoroughly chilled to the core.
- Pour the well-chilled custard into the bowl of your ice cream maker. Churn for 25 to 30 minutes until dense, matte, and set.
- If a firmer texture is desired, transfer to an airtight container and freeze at -18 °C (0 °F) for 30 minutes before serving.
- Scoop immediately into chilled bowls to preserve the luscious, creamy texture.
Nutrition
Per serving
- Energy
- 379.9 kcal
- Protein
- 11.31 g
- Carbohydrate
- 31.84 g
- Fat
- 24.61 g
- Fibre
- 4.23 g
- Calcium
- 93.75 mg
- Iron
- 0.59 mg
- Magnesium
- 36.67 mg
