Coffee Ice Cream

I'm terrible at decision making, but if there's one thing that will always take me ages to decide, and I mean ages, it would definitely be choosing an ice-cream flavour at an ice-cream shop.

Because there's never a flavour I don't fancy!

Choosing ice-cream flavours at the supermarket is much easier, as I this is one of the few areas where I do have a clear-cut favourite. It's a coffee ice-cream with chocolate coated almonds (Connoisseur ice cream, if anyone wants to know)- it's amazing! The almonds are coated in a perfect layer of decadent chocolate and the ice-cream itself is beautiful and smooth with deep, rich coffee taste. And that's coming from someone who doesn't like coffee!

In an attempt to make my own version, I added coffee to my usual ice-cream recipe and threw in a couple of chocolate coated almonds. Easy! Though I did manage to curdle the custard and didn't make my coffee strong enough, the ice-cream still tasted pretty damn good even if nothing much like the original version, both in texture and taste. Though I'm guessing that's also partly got to do with the fact that different coffee beans give slightly different tastes? I haven't a clue about coffee :)

We finished it in a flash, but it's alright since the ice-cream bowl is back in the freezer ready to churn my next batch of ice-cream. There's so many flavours I still need to try!!!

Coffee Ice Cream Recipe
Recipe adapted from Delicious Ice Cream (Cookbook)

300ml milk
1 vanilla pod
4 large egg yolks
115g caster sugar
150ml very strong coffee
300ml double cream

1. Pour the milk into a large heavy-based saucepan. Split open the vanilla pod and scrape out the seeds into the milk, then add the whole vanilla pod too. bring almost to boil, then remove from heat and leave to infuse for 30 minutes.
2. Put the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl and whisk together until pale and mixture leaves a trail when the whisk is lifted. Remove the vanilla pod from the milk, then slowly add the milk into the egg mixture, stirring all the time with a wooden spoon. Strain the mixture into the rinsed-out saucepan or a double boiler and cook over a low heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring all the time, until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Do not allow the mixture to boil or it will curdle. Remove the custard from the heat and leave to cool for at least 1 hour, stirring from time to time to prevent a skin from forming.
3. Stir coffee into the custard mixture
4. Whip the cream until it holds its shape.
5. If using an ice cream machine, fold the whipped cream into the cold custard, then churn the mixture in the machine following the manufacturers instructions. Alternatively, freeze the custard in a freezer container, uncovered, for 1-2 hours, or until it begins to set around the edges. Turn the custard into a bowl and stir with a fork or beat in a food processor until smooth. Fold in the whipped cream. Return to the freezer and freeze for a further 2-3 hours, or until firm or required. Cover the container with a lid for storing.