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Café au Lait Ice Cream

Source of Recipe

From "The New Orleans Kitchen" by Justin Devillier


Recipe Introduction

"There's something equally big-city and country about making ice cream. Ice cream base—milk, cream, sugar, and egg yolks—is a blank canvas. The true secret to making the best ice cream is using the best ingredients, so it's worth seeking out farm-fresh milk, cream, and eggs. Once you have the basic technique down, experiment with flavorings—start with herbal or aromatic infusions, such as lemongrass, herbs, and spices. Dry add-ins don't affect the liquid content much, whereas adding ingredients that have a lot of moisture is more complicated. The yolk-heavy base is rich, creamy, and almost fluffy in texture, and should scoop out easily after churning. If it's too loose, the finished ice cream will become frosty and hard in the freezer; if it's too thick, it may be overbeaten and have a greasy texture when frozen. It should look like perfect soft-serve when you pack it into a container to freeze."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 2 cups whole milk
â—¦ 1 quart heavy cream
â—¦ 2 tablespoons brewed dark-roast chicory and coffee blend, grinds strained out
â—¦ 1 ½ cups sugar
â—¦ 12 egg yolks


Recipe

In a saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the milk, 2 cups of the cream, and the chicory coffee to just below a boil. Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, whisk the sugar and egg yolks until light yellow, smooth ribbons with a bit of froth form.

Whisk the scalding milk mixture into the egg mixture, a few tablespoons at a time, until about 1 cup has been added, and then add the remainder and whisk until the mixture is smooth and combined. This technique of gradually mixing hot liquid into raw eggs, to slowly increase the temperature of the eggs without cooking them into unappealing scrambled bits, is called tempering. Stir in the remaining 2 cups cream.

Pour the mixture back into the pot, decrease the heat to low, and cook, stirring, until it is slightly thickened and coats the back of a spoon, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate until completely chilled, 4 to 6 hours.

Pour the chilled base into an ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer's directions, until it resembles soft-serve ice cream and is smooth and creamy. Watch to be sure the paddle keeps moving during this process—if it stops, the ice cream is too stiff.

Transfer the ice cream from the machine to a plastic container with a lid, smoothing it out as you go to remove any air bubbles. Freeze for 4 to 6 hours, scoop, and serve. Leftover ice cream will keep in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Makes about 2 quarts