Root Beer Float Ice Cream

Root Beer Float Ice Cream

• • 1 can/bottle (12 ounces) Root Beer (your favorite brand)

  • 2 cups heavy cream

  • 1 cup whole milk

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

  • 3/4 cup sugar

  • 5 egg yolks

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Cook’s Note: If you decide to use store-bought root beer extract or concentrate instead of boiling down your own, pick a good brand. The only one I could find locally (outside of ordering online) was Watkins imitation root beer extract, and the flavor was horrible, very medicinal. Flavor and intensity varies wildly between brands, so some will be much better than others, and the amount you use will be up to your own taste.

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Pour the root beer into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat and boil until reduced to a concentrated syrup, about 2 ounces (1/4 cup). Set aside.

In a large saucepan, combine the cream, milk and salt. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, but don't bring it to a rapid boil. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar with the egg yolks. When the cream mixture is hot but not boiling, drizzle about 1 cup of the hot cream into the eggs and sugar mixture, whisking constantly, to temper the eggs. Pour all of the egg mixture back into the saucepan with the cream. Cook the custard gently over medium low heat, stirring constantly until thickened slightly, and the temperature reaches 170. Remove from the heat.

Pour custard through a mesh strainer into a bowl to strain out any bits of cooked egg. Whisk in the vanilla and the root beer concentrate (I used all of the concentrate, but you can add a little at a time, tasting as you go, until you like the flavor – the flavor also develops more as the custard chills). Cover with a lid or plastic wrap, and refrigerate, preferably overnight, but at least until very well chilled. The custard will thicken quite a bit as it chills, more to the consistency of pudding.

Churn custard according to the instructions on your ice cream maker, then transfer to a container and freeze until firm, 4-6 hours.

Yields about 1 1/2 quarts.

Recipe from Curly Girl Kitchen