Mocha Ice Cream (Custard Style) Low Carb & Gluten Free

So another week under the belt under the new low-carb lifestyle and I can say it's going really well.  (9.4 lbs to-date, although it's much slower going this week).   I am now to the point where I forget or don't need to snack, and my hunger has more or less abated.  My snacking/sweet tooth is mostly there when I'm bored (so this is habit, not need), or after dinner.

At a dinner party earlier this week (where I brought my own dinner and dessert to make sure I was prepared), the hostess asked us, in honor of Lent, to name one thing we couldn't live without.  I couldn't decide between ice cream and coffee.  To be fair, I have been without ice cream now for 2 weeks, but I canNOT give up my coffee in the morning. So it got me thinking that it was time to dust off my recipe for Mocha Ice Cream.  I won't be able to eat it for a few days ((1) it takes a full day to make and (2) tomorrow night I have my BlueStem/Julep dinner that I've been planning for months and I will go off-plan for the meal without guilt.  But what that means is I need to be extra vigilant against extra calories and carbs this weekend and probably Monday-Tuesday, too, so I can recover and not undo all my good work, plus (3) the next couple of days is showing highs in the Teens -- gross.), but its Saturday and I'm home and have all the ingredients, so why not!?

This recipe is a custard style - which means it has tempered egg yolks - and it's meant to be churned in an ice cream machine.  So if you haven't already, put the basin in the freezer.  My favorite recipe is an adaption of Martha Stewart's Vanilla Custard Ice Cream Base.

Not pictured:  Instant Coffee Crystals - they're in the
measuring cup with the coffee.

Her recipe calls for 1 cup of Whole Milk and 1 1/2 cup Heavy Cream.  The idea here is that a little bit of non-fat liquid helps the ice cream freeze with the right soft texture.  Since I'm making coffee flavored ice cream base, I am using a half cup of coffee (leftover from this morning) and 2 cups of Heavy Cream.  I'm replacing her vanilla bean with a tablespoon of Bourbon - it adds a bit of Vanilla Flavor to give the custard the full flavor without carbs, but also helps the ice cream stay soft since the liquor doesn't freeze. I replaced the sugar 1-for-1 with Xylitol.  I use Xylo Sweet -- See my last post on the health benefits and origin of Xylitol. And then I added 1/3 cup of cocoa powdered (Unsweetened) for the chocolate.  And to make sure the coffee flavor comes through, I added a tablespoon of instant coffee crystals.

UL: Whisking the eggs, sugar and salt
UR:  Bringing Cream mix to temperature
Bottom:  Tempering the egg mixture

Ingredients  -- Serves 6  (about 4 oz each) - 1 serving is 415 calories and 4 net carbs.

• 1/2 cup coffee
• 1 tbsp instant coffee crystals
• 2 cups heavy cream 
• 1/3 cup Cocoa Powder (unsweetened)
• 6 large egg yolks 
• 3/4 cup Xylitol
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 tbsp Bourbon 

Directions 

1. Combine coffee, cocoa, coffee crystals and cream



UL: Whisking the egg mixture
UR: Prepping the ice bath
LL: Checking for thickness (Done!)
LR: Cooling off in ice bath





2.  in a medium saucepan. Bring mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally; remove 
3. from heat. 
4. Whisk together egg yolks, Xylitol, and salt in a large bowl.
5. Gradually whisk in half of dairy mixture. Pour egg-milk mixture back into pan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 6 to 8 minutes. 
6. While this is thickening, prepare your ice bath.
7. Pour custard through a fine sieve into a bowl set in a larger bowl of ice water; Let cool, stirring occasionally.   
8. Once cool, stir in the Bourbon.
9. Cover and refrigerate until cold, at least 1 hour. (I put a piece of saran wrap down onto the custard to keep it from forming a skin or absorbing refrigerator odors. (Custard base can be refrigerated up to 2 days ahead.)
10. Add to your ice cream machine and churn based on your machine's directions.
11. Freeze at least an hour, but let it sit out about 15 minutes before serving.  It will become harder if you freeze longer, but always give it 15 minutes before serving to be easier to scoop, and allow the flavors to be at their best.

Saran prevents a skin from forming in the fridge	Yummy Creamy Goodness	Prepped for Freezer Makes about 25 ounces