Cardamom Coffee Float
When you have a little extra time in the morning, this cardamom coffee float can give you the complex flavors of a coffeehouse drink without your having to leave your home. And don’t worry about adding cream or sugar – this drink has creamer and sweetener built right in!
Like a root beer float, this coffee float is topped with ice cream, but instead of the traditional vanilla we opted for cardamom and subbed in freshly brewed hot coffee for root beer.
You’ll start by churning a batch of sinfully smooth ice cream infused with Spice Monger™ ground cardamom and brewing a fresh pot of the coffee of your choice. Next, a scoop of the cardamom ice cream gets dropped right into your cup of coffee. The ice cream will melt over the course of about 6-7 minutes, creating a layer of sweet melted ice cream on top of the coffee such that each sip begins with a sweet, creamy cardamom flavor and ends with the bitter bite of the coffee underneath. When the ice cream has melted completely you’ll be left with a mildly sweet, creamy, spiced cup of coffee. Enjoy this coffee float curled up with a good book or sip it slowly during your favorite morning ritual.
Cardamom Ice Cream (makes enough for about 8-9 floats)
Ingredients
- ¾ teaspoon Spice Monger™ ground cardamom
- 1 1/6 cups whole milk
- 1 1/6 cups heavy cream
- 2 large egg yolks (0.33oz egg yolk)
- 1 ½ large eggs (2.6oz egg)
- ½ cup + 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Combine the milk, heavy cream, and Spice Monger™ ground cardamom in a medium saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat. As soon as the mixture begins to boil reduce heat to low and simmer for half an hour, stirring every few minutes.
About five minutes before the milk mixture is done simmering beat the eggs, egg yolks, and sugar in a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment on medium speed until thick, fluffy, and lighter in color, about two minutes.
When the half an hour is up, temper the eggs by adding ½ cup of the hot milk mixture to the egg mixture with the mixer on low. Make sure to have the mixer running and to add the milk mixture very slowly when you perform this step, or the hot milk will cook the eggs and you’ll have scrambled eggs instead of creamy custard.
Now, pour the egg mixture very slowly into the saucepan with the milk mixture, stirring constantly as you pour. Cook on medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon without immediately dripping off. Remove from heat and pour into a heatproof container. Apply plastic wrap directly to the surface of the custard and refrigerate until very cold, at least 4 hours or, optimally, overnight.
Once the custard has chilled, pour it into the freezer bowl of an ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions. At this point the ice cream will be very soft. Scoop into a freezer-safe container and freeze at least 2 hours to overnight before making your coffee float.
Coffee
Ingredients
12oz freshly brewed hot coffee
Assembly
Once the cardamom ice cream has frozen solid remove it from the freezer and set it on the counter to soften. The ice cream will have the perfect scooping consistency about 10 minutes after being removed from the freezer.
Meanwhile, brew your coffee. Pour the hot coffee into a mug, leaving some space at the top for the ice cream.
Using an ice cream scoop, drop one scoop of cardamom ice cream into the hot coffee and serve immediately.
Variations:
- Chocoholics can stir one tablespoon of cocoa powder into the hot coffee before adding the cardamom ice cream. Though delicious, the cocoa powder can detract from the cardamom flavor, which we prefer to let shine all on its own in this recipe.
- Adapt this recipe for hot summer months by adding the ice cream to iced instead of hot coffee.