Last night was a late night. I was at the office until around 10 p.m., drove through what felt like a hurricane and arrived home weather-beaten and starving. Luckily, I found some takeout in the fridge and the energy to make Nigella Lawson’s One-Step No-Churn Coffee Ice Cream, although it didn’t require much energy at all. It literally took 7 minutes to make the ice cream base and stick it in the freezer.
Full disclosure: I have been a fan of Nigella Lawson for years, because so many of her recipes are easy and I’ve had success with them. In her newest book, Nigellissima: Easy Italian-Inspired Recipes, she applies her signature style – “Recipes that excite the imagination without stressing the cook” – to dishes like: Shortcut Sausage Meatballs and Spaghettini with Lemon & Garlic Breadcrumbs. But I wanted to try out her ice cream recipe. I’ve watched her make various no-churn ice creams over the years from bitter orange to pomegranate that don’t require making a custard, which can be a pain, or an ice-cream maker. This last part is exceptionally great, because most people don’t have one.
The recipe was really easy, the longest step being making the whipped cream, which I did in a stand mixer. The ice cream turned out wonderfully, with a strong coffee flavor from the liqueur and espresso powder, and a velvety richness from the condensed milk. This book has a plethora of low-maintenance dishes like this one, making it awesome for cooking for a crowd – or even at 11 o’clock at night when whipping up a dish by yourself is the last thing you want to do.
One-Step No-Churn Coffee Ice Cream Makes 1 pint
2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
2 Tbsp. instant espresso powder
2 Tbsp. espresso liqueur
1¼ cups heavy cream
1-pint airtight container
• Put the condensed milk in a bowl and stir in the espresso powder and liqueur.
• In a separate bowl whisk the cream until it reaches soft peaks.
• Fold the cream into the condensed milk mixture, then pour this gorgeous cafe-late-colored airy mixture into an airtight container and freeze for 6 hours or overnight.
• Serve straight from the freezer.
Who makes your favorite ice cream in town? Tell us in the comments section below for a chance to win a copy of Nigellissima. We’ll announce the winner in next week’s By the Book column. And now, we’d like to congratulate Mary, whose comment on last week’s By the Book column has won her a copy of Cindy’s Supper Club. Mary, keep an eye out for an email from the Sauce crew.
This article appears in May 2013.
