coffee ice cream with hazelnuts

i really like ice cream. i really like hazelnuts. and…i really like coffee. actually, i love all three. when i was a kid living in vacaville, my mom would take us to baskin robbins weekly. every visit i would order jamocha almond fudge (which, apparently has been a staple at br since 59…yes, 1959), always in a cake cone. mmm, creamy coffee ice cream, fudge and crunchy-crunchy almonds. yum.

even as a kid i loved the flavor of coffee. visits with my grandparents, as far back as i can remember, included a mug half full of coffee, half milk and loads of sugar…loads. my love for coffee has only grown (and even stepped up several levels after working for a certain mega-green-apron-donning-coffee chain a few years ago).

this ice cream was pretty good. i don’t want to sound unenthusiastic, but it is not my dream cream. too sweet, so next time i will reduce the sugar by about a quarter of a cup.. sean and his little brother, geoff (geoff is our new roomate, welcome!), both really enjoyed it…as only the scraping of spoons against the bottom of bowls can indicate. i toasted the hazelnuts in a dry pan with a pinch of salt and could hardly stop eating them from the bowl. they added a delightfuly nutty crunch to the creamy coffee flavor. i am glad it wasn’t a perfect recipe, because now i have an excuse to make more coffee steeped ice cream concoctions.

coffee ice cream with hazelnuts
i also added about a 1/8 tsp of cinnamon for a bit of spicy warmth…plus coffee+hazelnuts+cinnamon=love.

below is the recipe adjusted for less sugar. originally i used 3/4 cup of white sugar. i like to use (and drink) ground espresso, but i think any dark roast would be nice.

1 cup milk
1 cup cream
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup coarsely ground coffee
4 egg yolks*
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup toasted, coarsely chopped hazelnuts

whisk egg yolks and sugar in a heat proof bowl until pale and thick, set aside. put milk, cream, vanilla, and coffee in a medium saucepan over med-low heat. bring to just before boiling…don’t boil! strain into a large measuring cup or bowl (to remove grounds) and temper into egg and sugar mixture. pour the custard base back into saucepan (through a sieve if your like me and crazy!) and stir constantly over low heat until the custard coats the back of a wooden spoon. cool completely and freeze in ice cream machine, adding hazelnuts at the end of churning just to incorporate. if you can’t strain out all of the grounds…don’t fret, they are tasty too.

*i use organic, vegetarian eggs. that is veg fed eggs. i am too freaked out to eat any other eggs…especially if i am personally purchasing and cooking with them. i also use organic milk and cream. i pretty much try (try being opperative in this sentence) to go organic as much as i can. you can use what you want. i just thought i’d note that this is how i roll.