Coffee Ice Cream

Adapted from this source.

1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 cups heavy cream, divided
1 1/2 cups whole coffee beans
3/4 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
5 large egg yolks
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Heat the milk, coffee beans, and 1/2 cup of the cream in a medium saucepan until it is quite warm and steamy, but not boiling. Cover, remove from the heat, and let steep at room temperature for at least one hour (I forgot about mine for 6 or 7 hours. No harm done). Strain the coffee beans out, and return the milk mixture to the saucepan.

Reheat on medium heat, until again hot and steamy (not boiling!). In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks together. Slowly pour the heated milk and coffee mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly so that the egg yolks are tempered by the warm milk, but not cooked by it. Scrape the mixture back into the saucepan.

Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof, flat-bottomed spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula so that you can run your finger across the coating and leave a trail. This can take about 10 minutes.

Pour the custard into a bowl and stir in the remaining cream. Mix in the vanilla and chill thoroughly.

Freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Makes one quart.

Notes: I've tried the recipe as written, and you lose a ton of custard that gets stuck to the coffee beans. Much better to strain before thickening. 

This came out ridiculously smooth and thick, and froze quickly, but is still scoopable straight out of the (inside) freezer.