No-Churn Espresso Ice Cream Recipe

The silent pause. The look of horror. The words of disbelief. “Not even water?”. Nope. Not even water.

It’s a scene that many Muslims are familiar with during the month of Ramadan, as neighbours, friends, and colleagues stand in stunned disbelief at the level of dedication and discipline required during our holy month of fasting. Indeed, they are right to do so, since water is for one very important reason, the most vital substance on Earth. That reason? Coffee.

Without water, there is no coffee, and without coffee, there is no happiness, no joy, and no vitality in this meagre, mortal life. But, Ramadan is a time to shun worldly desires, and when faced with the incredibly short nights and the blitzed sleeping patterns that come with it, many of us choose to avoid coffee altogether. As a man who holds coffee in higher esteem than oxygen, you can imagine that this is not an easy task for me. The aroma, the sheer complexity of flavours, and the very ritual of grinding and brewing my own coffee are all things that I miss during the month of Ramadan. This year however, I decided that I needn’t be completely deprived of my beloved elixir, and so, I whipped up a quick batch of espresso ice cream that you too can make at home. Below, you’ll find an easy five-minute recipe that will truly round off your iftar.

Preparation time: 5 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 200ml condensed milk.
• 400-600ml of double cream.
• 1 x double espresso / 200-250ml of brewed coffee / 3-4 teaspoons of instant coffee dissolved in a small amount of boiling water.
• Walnuts (optional).

Now, as a coffee snob, I have a real gripe with instant “coffee”, and, as is the case when making tiramisu or other coffee-based desserts, your end result will only be as good as the coffee you put in. The rich, bold flavours of a good espresso will give your ice cream far greater depth than a cup of good brewed coffee, which in turn will give far greater depth than a watered-down mug of blasphemous instant coffee, so bear this in mind.

(I get my own coffee from Pact, and I will happily and voluntarily plug them in this post – for the simple reason that I genuinely admire the quality and traceability of their produce. You can also use our referral code – “STEAKANDTEETH” to get £5 off your first order – be it a bag of wholebeans, or a bag of grounds specific to your method of brewing).

Steps:

1. Pour the condensed milk, double cream, and the espresso/brewed coffee/instant coffee into a bowl, and beat/whisk until you form a thick and stiff cream
2. Pour the mixture into a container and top with crushed walnuts if desired.
3. Cover the container and place it in the freezer overnight or until solid.
4. Scoop up your thick and rich espresso ice cream, and soothe those coffee-deprived sweats!

Let us know how you get on, and be sure to send us your snaps!