Coffee ice cream, one of my all time favourite desserts. I like to eat this as is, unadorned in a little glass, though it is also excellent on the side of a good flourless chocolate cake, even better if there is also a brandy-poached prune and some boozy poaching syrup to accompany it. A nice chunky piece of almond-y biscotti is also a good idea for scooping and dipping if you feel the need to pair it with something.
If there is one thing to say about this recipe it is to use good quality coffee- quite simply, if your coffee tastes like an ashtray, so will your ice cream. My preference is for a fruitier coffee when I make this, an African or Central American is ideal and although you can of course use a blend, it is fun to try different single origins and see how they compare.
When freezing ice cream, it is always going to be creamier if your custard is very cold before it goes into the machine, the quicker it freezes the smoother it will be. And freeze it for as long as you can in the machine, the firmer the better, to ensure it stays frozen when you transfer it to the freezer. If you are really organized you may even chill the container you are going to transfer it into for storage (I am not that person)!
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Still Life With Lemon to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.