The temperature here tomorrow is supposed to hit about 90 degrees. This makes me think of ice cream... and my dad. I don't think a day went by that my dad did not have a bowl of ice cream (miss him!). I love ice cream too with a capital "L." If I were to assemble a list of my top 5 favorite foods, ice cream would be on it. Please don't ask me to narrow it down to a favorite flavor.
Then there's coffee. When the weather gets hot, wouldn't it be great to have a bowl of coffee ice cream for breakfast? It probably has less calories that the typical grande thingies that cost more than lunch, so why not?
Okay... I'm not necessarily advocating having ice cream for breakfast (although I did it when I was in college). I will assert that this ice cream is perfect for those who want a strong, freshly ground, freshly steeped coffee flavor in their ice cream. It definitely packs a caffeine punch. So maybe ice cream for breakfast isn't such a bad idea. Right? Right!
I topped mine with a little chocolate syrup. Coffee + chocolate = heaven.
Note: any ice cream maker is good to use. I used this one from Cuisinart.
Black Coffee Ice Cream
2 1/2 C whole milk
1 T and 2 tsp cornstarch
3 T softened cream cheese
1/8 tsp salt
1 1/2 C heavy cream
3/4 C sugar
3 T light corn syrup
1/4 C roasted coffee beans, coarsely ground
Instructions
- Whisk 2 T of the milk with the cornstarch to dissolve.
- Whisk the cream cheese with the salt in a medium sized bowl.
- Add ice cubes and water to a large bowl and set aside.
- In a 4 quart saucepan, combine the rest of the milk, cream, sugar, and corn syrup and bring it to a boil. Let boil for four minutes.
- Remove the mixture from the heat and add the coffee. Let the mixture steep for five minutes.
- Strain the mixture through a cheesecloth lined strainer. Squeeze out as much coffee flavor as possible into the mixture.
- Add the mixture back into the saucepan and whisk in the milk/cornstarch mixture. Bring it to a boil again and cook for about a minute, stirring with a heat proof rubber spatula for about a minute, until slightly thickened.
- Slowly pour the milk mixture into the cream cheese mixture while whisking constantly until smooth.
- Add the whole mixture to a freezer bag, seal, and, submerge the bag into the ice water filled bowl. Let it sit for 30 minutes. If necessary, add ice to the water.
- Add the mixture to your ice cream maker and freeze for about 20 to 30 minutes, until thick.
- Move the ice cream to a container and top the mixture with plastic wrap against the surface. Seal the container and place it in your freezer for at least 4 hours.
Scoop, top with chocolate if you like, and enjoy. Good morning!