In our freezer was a batch of homemade espresso ice cream. In our fridge was a stubby of Walkerville Brewery Milk Stout. Put them together and what do you have? Only the most amazing beer float ever!!

I can’t take credit for this ingenious idea. Over the last few months, I’ve seen variations of beer floats all over Pinterest, so I decided to treat Sean with this delicious dessert / drink.

Espresso ice cream and Walkerville’s Milk Stout.

Last week, I made a batch of espresso ice cream and thought this would be the perfect accompaniment to Walkerville’s Milk Stout.

The espresso in the ice cream pairs well with the stout, which has a dark chocolate finish. It’s almost like they were meant to be together.

Homemade espresso ice cream.
Homemade espresso ice cream.

If you don’t have a carton of coffee ice cream in the house, you can simply substitute with vanilla. Or be adventurous and pair any of your favourite ice creams with your favourite craft beer. The possibilities are endless, my friends.

No recipe required here. Just add two to three scoops of ice cream into a tall glass, slowly pour the beer over top. Use a straw or a spoon (or both!) and enjoy.

Pouring a milk stout craft beer over espresso ice cream.

If you have an ice cream maker at home and want to make your own espresso ice cream, don’t worry! Here’s the recipe.

 

Espresso Ice Cream

  • 1 cup milk (either 2% or 3%)
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup fresh brewed espresso
  • Pinch of salt
  • 6 large egg yolks
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Warm the milk, sugar,  one cup of cream and salt in a medium sauce pan. Heat the milk until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and add the warm espresso. In a large bowl, add the remaining cup of cream, place a sieve over the bowl and set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks. While whisking, slowly pour the warm milk mixture into the yolks.  You want to slowly bring the eggs up to the temperature of the milk. I add one ladle at a time, to avoid the eggs from curdling.

Pour this custard mixture back into the sauce pan and place over a medium heat. Stir the custard constantly with a heatproof spatula. The custard will start to thicken. You’ll know it’s done, when it coats the back of the spatula.

Pour the custard through the strainer and mix it into the cream.  During this process, I have a larger bowl filled with ice and place the smaller bowl with the custard mixture within it. It helps in cooling the custard.

Stir in the vanilla. Place the mixture into the refrigerator until it is completely chilled. Normally I make this a day ahead and leave it in the fridge overnight.  Add the mixture to the ice cream machine and process according to the manufacturer’s instruction.