Espresso Ice Cream

Mark and I are having some friends over this evening so I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to use my new ice cream maker attachment for my Kitchenaid. I have only used it one other time so I was very excited to try out a few different recipes. Yesterday I made both rocky road ice cream and espresso ice cream. I will save the rocky road for another post but today you will get my espresso ice cream recipe. I am a little frustrated with my ice cream maker at the moment though because I cannot use it without making a royal mess. I don't know if it is a flaw in the design or if I am just going about it the wrong way, but as a result of this, I spent a long time yesterday cleaning my kitchen. But, like most good things in life, it was worth the work. Both ice creams came out very tasty! Here is the recipe for the Espresso Ice Cream...

Espresso Ice Cream
Ingredients:
3 cups half and half
6 large egg yolks
2/3 cup sugar
pinch of salt
2 1/2 T ground espresso coffee beans
1 T Kahlua
1 t vanilla extract

Directions:
Heat the half and half over medium heat until tiny bubbles form around the edge of the pan. Meanwhile, with an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks, sugar and salt until fluffy. Add the half and half to the egg mixture VERY slowly (so you don't make scrambled eggs). Wipe out the pan and pour the entire mixture back into the pan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, for 10-12 minutes, until it has thickened and the cream coats the back of a wooden spoon.
Pour the cream through a sieve into a bowl. Add the ground espresso beans, Kahlua and vanilla and refrigerate until completely chilled. (Overnight works great.)
Pour the espresso cream into an ice cream maker and follow the directions provided by the manufacturer. Return to a container and freeze for 2-4 hours before serving.

Notes: The ground espresso beans can be replaced with just regular coffee from the can but I think the freshness from the espresso beans is worth the extra trouble. Also, the finer you ground the beans the better. The larger coffee grinds leave an odd texture and get stuck in your teeth easier, and that is just not attractive.

Enjoy!