One thing you should know about me before we get too far into our blog/reader relationship: I love ice cream.  I mean I love ice cream.  I love it so much I have been known to eat it twice a day and yes, maybe even three times a day during a particularly hot summer.  (Don’t judge.)  In fact, my first job was at a soft serve joint and fifteen years later I still say it was still the best job I ever had… Ice cream just makes people happy.

A few years ago I started making ice cream with my mom’s Kitchen Aid ice cream maker attachment and discovered that much like everything else in life, ice cream is even better when it’s homemade.  And what’s better still– my mom gave me the ice cream maker attachment because I was the only one using it.  Suh-weet.

This batch starts with espresso beans.  Espresso beans and a meat tenderizer.

After showing those espresso beans who’s boss you put them in a pot with whole milk.

Next you beat egg yolks and sugar until light yellow and fluffy:

Meanwhile you strain the espresso beans and return the espresso-flavored milk to the pot over low heat and then add the egg yolk/sugar mixture in parts while stirring constantly until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.  It is very important to stir constantly otherwise you might wind up cooking the eggs… Not good.  I’ve done that before.  No one wants cooked egg bites in their ice cream cone.

It is important to completely cool mixture before adding to ice cream maker so you can either refrigerate it for an hour or so or put in a mixing bowl that is submerged in a larger mixing bowl that is filled with ice to cool.  This is also the stage in the game where you add heavy cream and instant espresso.  Once cool, you stand back and let an ice cream maker do the work.

Another great way to enjoy this ice cream?  Well, do you remember those Mexican Chocolate Chip Cookies from earlier in the week?  You might be thinking  “Oh no you didn’t…”  Oh yes I did.

Espresso Gelato (from www.marthastewart.com)

• 1/3cup espresso beans
• 2 cups whole milk
• 5 large egg yolks
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons instant espresso

Place espresso beans on a cutting board, and gently crush them using a heavy saucepan or a hammer (be careful not to pulverize the beans). In a medium saucepan, heat milk and coffee beans. Bring to a gentle boil, cover, and remove from heat. Allow to steep for 30 minutes. Strain mixture, and reserve milk; discard solids.

Combine egg yolks and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat at medium-high speed until very thick and pale yellow, 3 to 5 minutes. Meanwhile, return milk to heat, and bring to a simmer.

Add half the milk to egg-yolk mixture, and whisk until blended. Stir into remaining milk, and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Remove from heat, and immediately stir in cream. Pass mixture through a strainer into a medium mixing bowl set in an ice bath until chilled, stirring from time to time. Stir in instant espresso, then freeze in an ice-cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. (Note: I added chocolate chips 2/3 of the way through the churning process in my ice cream maker but it would be great without them or with other mix-ins.  Oreos?  Genius.) Transfer to an airtight plastic container and store up to 2 weeks.  (I read somewhere that it’s a good idea to cover the top of the ice cream with plastic wrap before putting the lid on the container to prevent ice crystals from forming.  Not sure if this is always true, but so far so good for me.)