Makes about 1 1/4 quarts, or 8 servings
Freshly ground coffee gives this Philadelphia-style ice cream a bold flavor. Coffee beans are sold by variety or as a blend, and in varying degrees of “roast,” from a light, or American, roast to inky black and shiny espresso roast. Coarsely grinding the coffee beans right before you use them permits them to infuse the hot cream and milk mixture with a rich, full-bodied coffee flavor. The darker the bean’s roast, the more intense the ice cream’s flavor will be. Decaffeinated beans may be used as well as regular ones.
Ingredients
Directions
- Combine the cream, milk, sugar, ground coffee, and salt in a heavy nonreactive saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Remove the pan from the heat, cover, and let steep for 30 minutes. Stir in the vanilla extract.
- Strain through a coffee filter into a container. Refrigerate the ice-cream base until thoroughly chilled, at least 4 hours or up to overnight before freezing in an ice-cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Pack the ice cream in containers and let ripen in the freezer for 3 to 4 hours before serving.
For Chunky Coffee Ice Cream: When you remove the finished coffee ice cream from the ice cream machine, transfer it to a bowl and fold in 1 cup of the following: crushed toffee or toffee candy bars (with or without chocolate coating), chunks of Fudge Brownies, or peanut butter cup candy. Pack into containers and let ripen as described above.
