Ants in the Snow/A Goat with No Name
appeared in The Sunday Oregonian, Taste Makers, December 2002
Recipes adapted from Todd and Esther Cowing, Store House Coffee Ice cream recipe is recommended for the intermediate cook. Hot chocolate float is recommended for adult holiday well-being.
At Story House Coffee, homemade ice cream is a holiday tradition that goes back generations, using an old-style hand crank ice cream maker. Todd and Esther Cowing add their signature by creating a creamy concoction flavored with an organic Peruvian coffee and flecked with bits of coffee bean. And, during those long winter nights when Rudolph's on the prowl, they'll snuggle up with steaming mugs of a Goat With No Name, a grown-up hot chocolate ice cream float laced with Southern Comfort.
Ants in the Snow
Makes 1 quart
1/4 cup fresh roasted and finely-ground coffee beans, such as Story House Peru Norte Organic (see Note)
1 1/2 cups heavy (whipping) cream, divided
2 large eggs (see Note)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
Pinch teaspoon salt
1 cup (1/2 pint) whole milk
The night before, soak the ground beans in 1/2 cup heavy cream. (A Ziploc plastic bag works well; if doubling recipe, we like to use a French press so we can use the plunger to submerge the grounds beneath the surface.) In the morning, strain the mixture through a fine sieve. Don't worry if some grounds pass through; they make attractive flecks or "ants" in the ice cream.
In a freestanding electric mixer, using cold whisk or beaters and a cold bowl, whip the eggs at medium speed for 15 minutes. (Yes, that's right! Todd's grandmother always said this was the most important step.)
Meanwhile, if you are using a hand-crank ice cream maker, begin the preparations by taking two bags of ice from the freezer and hammering the cubes into small chips, or have your freeze-style ice cream maker ready to use.
In a bowl, mix together the sugar and salt. Slowing whisk it into the whipped eggs. Slowly whisk in the coffee infusion and the remaining 1 cup heavy cream and the milk. Pour the mixture into the ice cream maker (you make have extra) and freeze according to ice cream maker's instructions.
A Goat with No Name
Serves 1
1 cup (8 ounces) hot whole milk 2 tablespoons high quality powdered hot chocolate mix or 1 tablespoon cocoa and 1 tablespoon granulated sugar 1 ounce (about 2 tablespoons) bourbon, preferably Southern Comfort 1 scoop Ants In The Snow ice cream (see recipe above) In a large mug, stir together the hot milk, powdered hot chocolate and Southern Comfort until blended. Add the scoop of ice cream, sit in front of a fire, sip, and be happy! Note: We tried lots of beans and found the only ones we didn't like were the darkly roasted coffees that imparted a smoky taste. We chose Peru Norte Organic; if you want a unique hint of blueberry, try Ethiopia Harar. It is important to use the freshest eggs possible, which are free of cracks and have been kept refrigerated. Since raw egg carries the risk of bacterial growth that can cause salmonella poisoning, it should not be served to people in high-risk groups, such as the elderly, the very young, the chronically ill, and pregnant women. You can purchase pasteurized shell eggs, which undergo the same heating process as milk does to destroy harmful bacteria at Trader Joe's.