photo by Roslyn

This recipe for Vietnamese coffee ice cream is based on one by David Lebovitz in The Perfect Scoop.  What a fantastic idea for a coffee ice cream!

Here is David’s original ingredients list:

• 1.5 cups (600 g) sweetened condensed milk
• 1.5 cups (375 ml) brewed espresso or very dark coffee
• .5 cup (125 ml) half and half
• Big pinch of finely ground dark roast coffee

Here are the ingredients for my version:

• ¾ cup sweetened condensed milk
• .5 cup of espresso or dark coffee
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1¼ cups whole milk
• Big pinch of finely ground dark roast coffee

Both recipes make around a quart of ice cream. So which one should you make? In a word David’s is more intense and much sweeter. Mine is less sweet, still strongly coffee flavored and is easier to scoop after a night in the freezer.  A big trade off between the two is fat for sugar.  David’s tastes more like real Vietnamese coffee. Of course I hope you play more with these proportions on your own and let me know about it below in the comments.

Instructions

1. Combine all the ingredients.
2. Pre-Chill the mixture as needed. Read more here.
3. Freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
4. Store in a freezer proof container/s.  A layer of cling wrap pressed into the top of the ice cream will prevent ice build up on the surface of your ice cream.

Click here for more recipes based on sweetened condensed milk.