Chocolate Stout Ice Cream

Ice Cream Meets Beer Thanks to John "JC" Curtis.

This is a recipe that started from an Emeril Lagasse recipe for Guinness ice cream, but I wanted to take it to the next level in taste arousal.

This ice cream needs to be paired with the topping below as it is not as sweet as most wish. If you desire a sweeter product, add another ½ cup of sugar. More chocolate flavor can be had by melting some chocolate over a water bath, then mixing it into the mixture when the beer reduction is added. Cost is about $12 a quart to make, yes it is not cheap, and here are the requirements and process for one quart.

Notes

I use a $20 electric plastic ice cream maker from Wal-Mart…but whatever you wish to use is good.

An excellent topping for this is: Slice strawberries and add to a small pot with a little water and sugar. Heat this up and when berries start to become a sauce, add some Samuel Smith "Organic Strawberry Ale" and reduce some more till you like the thickness of the sauce. Cool down and serve on the side in a bowl with the ice cream. Serving a small glass of the Melbourne as you eat the ice cream will complete this dish.

 

Yield Type
Servings
Ingredients
12 oz Chocolate Stout (Young's Double Chocolate Stout works great)
2 cups heavy cream (or whipping cream)
2 cups whole milk
1 cup sugar (granulated)
1 vanilla bean
6 egg yolks
Directions
In a pot that will hold the beer and not foam over when heated, suggest medium, simmer the Stout until reduced down by 75% of volume.
Turn off heat and set aside.
In a large pot, combine cream, milk, and sugar.
Cut the vanilla bean length-wise and use the top side of the knife to scrape the seeds and pulp out of both halves of the bean.
Put this into the pot, along with the bean.
Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat and remove once the boil starts.
In a mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks till the color turns to a light yellow.
Take one cup of the hot cream mixture and very slowly add it to the egg yolks while whisking. You are tempering the egg yolks by doing this.
Now add the egg yolk mixture slowly back into the pot of hot cream mixture stirring or whisking as you do so.
Cook this over a medium-low heat, stirring on occasion, until the mixture coats the backside of a spoon and reaches 170°F on a thermometer.
Remove from heat and strain to remove the bean halves. You need to chill this mixture down, covered, in the fridge until it is close to room temperature or cooler.
Once mixture is cool, whisk in the reduced stout mix and transfer to the ice cream maker’s container and freeze away according to the directions of the maker.