Iced Coffee

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •1-quart (1-liter) heavy-bottomed saucepan
• •Large pour-over filter or fine sieve lined with damp muslin
• •2-quart (2-liter) heatproof mixing bowl
• •2-quart (2-liter) countertop ice cream machine
• •9 x 13-inch (23 x 33 cm) shallow metal pan, if churning by hand
• •8 small cups or glasses

Instructions

1. 1

   Infuse the milk

   Put the milk and split vanilla bean in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Bring the milk slowly to a full boil over medium heat, stirring along the bottom so it cannot catch. The instant it rises, remove it from the heat, cover, and infuse for 20 minutes. Remove the vanilla, transfer the milk to a shallow container, and chill it to 40°F (4°C) or colder, at least 2 hours. If a skin forms, whisk it back in or strain it away; the milk beneath is unharmed.

2. 2

   Brew it fiercely

   Set a large coffee filter or a damp muslin-lined sieve over a heatproof jug and add the ground coffee. Pour over the boiling water gradually, beginning with just enough to wet every ground, then continuing in a thin, steady stream. Let the coffee drain under its own weight and never squeeze the grounds, which forces bitterness and sediment into the cup. The small yield and startling strength are deliberate; milk, cream, sugar, and cold will soften it.

3. 3

   Dissolve the sugar

   Put the sugar in a heatproof mixing bowl and pour the hot coffee over it. Stir until the grains disappear, then leave the sweetened coffee to cool. The sugar must dissolve while the coffee is warm because it controls both sweetness and the soft freeze. If crystals remain after cooling, set the bowl over barely simmering water and stir just until clear, then cool it again. Ça se rattrape.

4. 4

   Build the cold base

   Once the sweetened coffee has reached room temperature, chill it thoroughly. Whisk in the very cold vanilla milk, followed by the cream, mixing only until uniform rather than beating in air. The base must be refrigerator-cold before churning; if it feels merely cool, give it another hour. A warm base freezes coarsely and exhausts the machine before the proper texture appears.

5. 5

   Churn to slush

   Pour the base into a fully frozen countertop ice cream machine and churn for 10 to 18 minutes, stopping when fine crystals give the mixture the body of loose snow but it still runs freely from a spoon. The high sugar content makes the freezing look slow. That is exactly right. Do not wait for a scoopable texture. If it goes too far, let it soften in the refrigerator for 10 minutes and whisk until pourable again, without diluting it. Without a machine, freeze the base in a shallow metal pan and whisk from the edges toward the centre every 15 minutes until evenly slushy.

6. 6

   Pour into cold cups

   Chill the serving cups for at least 30 minutes. Give the café glacé one gentle stir, then pour it immediately into the cold cups while the crystals remain suspended and the surface flows in a thick ribbon. Serve at once. À table!

Chef Tips

• •The coffee quantity is not a mistake. A standard-strength pot disappears beneath this much milk, cream, sugar, and cold; use freshly ground coffee and brew the concentrated measure exactly as written.
• •White granulated sugar is the honest equivalent of loaf sugar here. It is the same refined sugar, already broken small enough to dissolve; pounding a loaf was scaffolding and can go.
• •Do not reduce the sugar casually. Besides sweetening the coffee, it lowers the freezing point and keeps the café glacé soft enough to pour. Less sugar produces a harder, icier result.
• •Use whole milk and real heavy cream, both thoroughly cold. The cream supplies the round texture that lets the fine ice crystals move across the tongue rather than feeling watery.
• •For outdoor service, transfer the finished slush to a chilled pitcher and nest it in a bowl of ice. Stir once before each round and serve promptly, because its proper texture lives between liquid and frozen.

Advance Preparation

• •Freeze the ice cream machine bowl for the full time its maker requires. A bowl that is only partly frozen cannot create the fine crystals this drink needs.
• •The vanilla milk and sweetened coffee can be prepared separately up to 24 hours ahead and held covered in the refrigerator. Combine them with the cream only when everything is thoroughly cold.
• •The complete unchurned base keeps for 24 hours under refrigeration. Whisk gently before freezing because the cream may rise slightly.
• •Churn shortly before serving. If the finished café glacé must wait, refrigerate it rather than freezing it solid, then whisk briefly to restore its pourable slush.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 165g)