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1
Make the Coffee Custard
15 Mins
80°C (175°F), do not exceed 82°C (180°F)
Warm the milk and cream with the vanilla until steaming, then whisk in the instant espresso powder until it has fully dissolved. Whisk the yolks with the sugar and salt until pale, then pour in the hot coffee milk in a thin stream, whisking all the time. Return to the pan and stir over low heat until the custard coats the back of a spoon, about 80°C (175°F) — never let it boil.
Stir constantly and pull it off the heat at 80°C — boiled custard scrambles, and the coffee makes it hard to see curdling until it is too late.
Done when: The custard is thick enough to coat a spoon and leaves a clean line when you draw a finger through it; it tastes clearly of coffee.
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2
Chill the Custard
4 Hours
Fridge, about 4°C (39°F)
Strain the custard into a clean bowl, press cling film onto the surface so no skin forms, and chill for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
A cold base churns smooth; a warm base churns icy.
Done when: The custard is fridge-cold all the way through.
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3
Churn and Freeze the Coffee Ice Cream
4 Hours
Freezer, about -18°C (0°F)
Churn in an ice cream maker until thick and soft-serve, about 25–30 minutes, then pack into a tub and freeze for at least 4 hours until firm enough to scoop.
If you have no maker, freeze in a tub and beat with a fork every 30 minutes for 3 hours to break up the ice crystals.
Done when: The ice cream is firm, scoopable and pale coffee-brown, with a clear coffee flavour.
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4
Brew the Coffee and Whip the Cream
10 Mins
Coffee brewed at about 93°C (200°F), then chilled to about 4°C (39°F)
Brew 120ml (1/2 cup) of strong coffee, sweeten it lightly if you like, and chill it completely in the fridge. Whip the cold cream with the sugar to soft peaks — it should hold its shape but still look silky, not stiff.
The coffee for the glass must be properly cold, or it will melt the ice cream on contact. Stop whipping at soft peaks; over-whipped cream turns grainy.
Done when: The coffee is fridge-cold; the cream forms soft peaks that fold over when the whisk is lifted.
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5
Assemble and Serve
5 Mins
Room temperature, about 20°C (68°F)
Chill four tall glasses in the freezer for 10 minutes. Pour 30ml (2 tbsp) of the cold coffee into each glass, add two scoops of coffee ice cream, spoon over the whipped cream, dust lightly with cocoa, and tuck a wafer roll into each glass. Serve at once.
Serve immediately — the ice cream starts melting into the coffee the moment it is poured, and that melting edge is delicious.
Done when: Each glass has pale coffee-brown ice cream, dark cold coffee at the base, white cream and a crisp wafer.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Pour the cold coffee into the glass first, then the ice cream — the coffee creeps up around the scoops as they settle, and the first spoonful should have a little of everything: ice cream, coffee and cream.
Belgium
1h
