Ingredients
- 1 1/2 C heavy cream
- 1 1/2 C whole milk
- 3/4 C sugar
- 1 C whole coffee beans
- 10 - 15 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
- zest of 1 large orange or 2 small oranges
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 t instant turkish coffee (if you cannot find you may use espresso powder)
- salt, to taste
Preparation
Step 1
Combine the milk, cream, sugar, coffee beans, cardamom pods and orange zest in a saucepan and bring to a slow simmer over low heat just until the sugar is dissolved. Do not boil. Remove from the heat, cover and let steep for 1 hour. After about a half hour, taste the mixture to be sure you have the right level of cardamom. Add more if you prefer, reheat gently for just a minute or so, remove from heat and continue to steep.
After steeping to the desired strength, strain the coffee cream mixture into a clean saucepan and warm gently.
Whisk the egg yolks in a medium bowl. Slowly add the warm coffee cream mixture, whisking constantly to keep the eggs from scrambling. Return the mixture to the saucepan and medium heat. Cook, stirring and constantly scraping the bottom of the pan until the custard thickens and coats the back of the spatula. Pour the custard through a strainer into a clean container, pressing the beans to be sure you get all the liquid.
Place the instant espresso powder in a small bowl and stir in some of the cream to dissolve. Add the espresso and whisk thoroughly. Add a good pinch of salt to taste. Chill the ice cream base overnight.
Freeze in your ice cream maker according to instructions. Pour into a clean airtight container, press a piece of plastic wrap onto the surface, cover and place in your freezer to firm up.