Simply Living and Loving Each Day

COFFEE and CARDAMOM ICE CREAM with KILLER COFFEE BROWNIES 

I made these Ice Cream and Brownie Sundaes for bible study yesterday. We ended up not having Bible Study so we enjoyed them at home. The kids were thrilled! I used a very simple hot fudge sauce recipe from the church cookbook for the topping.
The recipe for the ice cream and brownies comes from Yankee magazine (see link in previous post).

Coffee and Cardamom Ice Cream

Total time: 1 hour, plus 6 to 12 hours chilling time; active time: 30 minutes


5 to 10 cardamom pods (preferably fresh green)
3/4 cup dark-roast whole coffee beans, such as Sumatra
3 cups whole milk
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1-1/2 cups heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Crack open cardamom pods to expose the tiny seeds. Discard shells. When you have about 1/2 teaspoon of seeds, place them in a heavy skillet over medium heat about 2 minutes to bring out the fragrance. Remove seeds, place in a coffee grinder, and grind until fine. Set aside. Next, grind coffee beans to a very coarse consistency.

In a large saucepan, warm milk over medium heat until lightly steaming. Add coffee beans and cardamom seeds. Stir, then turn off heat and steep 15 minutes. Strain liquid well and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk sugar and eggs on high speed 2 minutes until pale yellow. Slowly drizzle in the coffee-milk mixture, whisking constantly. Once mixed, return the egg mixture to a clean saucepan. Over a low flame, slowly heat mixture, stirring constantly, until it begins to thicken and the temperature reaches 175° on an instant-read thermometer. Remove from heat and let cool 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once cooled, whisk in heavy cream and vanilla extract. Cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator until chilled to about 40°, preferably overnight. Pour into an ice-cream maker and prepare according to machine instructions.

Yield: about 1-1/2 quarts

Killer Coffee Brownies

Total time: 55 minutes; active time: 20 minutes


6 ounces unsweetened chocolate
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate
1 cup unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing pan
Scant tablespoon hot water
2 tablespoons instant espresso coffee
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/4 cups flour, plus extra for dusting pan
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2-1/4 cups sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup toasted, coarsely chopped hazelnuts (optional)
Preheat oven to 350°. Gently melt chocolate in a microwave or double boiler. Remove from heat, then add 1 cup butter. Add a scant tablespoon of hot water to the espresso, stir, then add to the chocolate mixture. Let cool slightly. Add vanilla extract and set aside.

Meanwhile, grease and flour a 9x13-inch pan. In a large bowl, whisk eggs until just blended. Add sugar and whisk until mixture is pale yellow. Fold in cooled chocolate mixture. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Working in stages, gently fold dry ingredients into batter. Add hazelnuts and stir until just mixed.

Spread batter into pan. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the brownies comes out clean. Let brownies cool 20 minutes before cutting.

Yield: 18 to 24 medium-size brownies

Hot Fudge Sauce

2/3 cup chocolate chips
1 1/2 cup evaporated milk
2 cup powdered sugar
1 stick of butter

Place ingredients in a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil. Boil for 12 minutes.