Ingredients
- 1.5 cups of milk
- 3/4 cup of sugar
- 5 egg yolks
- 1.5 cups of whipping cream
- 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla
- 1.5 cups of coffee beans
- A pinch of salt (not in the original notebook, used in his step 1 but absent from his ingredient list)
Equipment. Ice cream maker, Fine mesh strainer, Instant-read thermometer
Method
- Heat the milk, coffee beans, a pinch of salt and 1/2 cup of the cream until steaming but not boiling, about 180F
- Take it off the heat, cover it, and leave it to steep for 1 hour
- Put the remaining 1 cup of cream in a bowl and set a fine mesh strainer over it
- Whisk the egg yolks and sugar on speed 2 until pale
- Reheat the infused milk until it steams again, about 180F
- Pour the hot milk slowly into the yolks on speed 2, to temper them
- Return everything to the pan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom and corners, until it reaches 175F to 180F and coats the back of a spoon
- Pour it through the strainer onto the reserved cream, pressing the beans to get the flavour out, then discard them
- Stir in the vanilla
- Chill in the fridge overnight
- Churn on speed 1 for 15 to 20 minutes, then freeze for 2 to 4 hours to harden
Are five egg yolks safe?
Yes. The custard is cooked. Step 7 takes it to 175F to 180F, above the 160F at which egg dishes are considered done.
Stir constantly with a spatula and scrape the corners. A pan reading 180F at the surface can hold cooler pockets underneath and scrambled egg on the base. Use a thermometer rather than guessing.
180F is the top of the window before a custard curdles, so aim for 175F. It should coat the back of a spoon, so a finger drawn through leaves a clear path. Cooling it over a bowl of iced water before the fridge gives a smoother texture.
Why do the beans come out after the custard is cooked?
One strain at the end does several jobs. It takes out the beans and catches any egg that scrambled. Landing the hot custard on cold cream also stops the cooking dead.
That is why a cup of the cream is held back in a bowl with the strainer over it. Press the beans as you strain to get out the flavour they have soaked up.