Your friends will never find this flavor of ice cream at the local scoop shop. This will wow any beer lover and make a great end to a wonderful beer dinner. Serves four.
Ingredients for Rochefort 8 Ice Cream Base:
11.2 oz. Rochefort Trappist 8, Abbaye Notre-Dame de Saint-Remy
2 cups heavy cream, not ultra-pasteurized, preferably organic
1 cup whole milk, preferably organic
½ cup sugar, organic
¼ cup soft dark sugar
4 egg yolks
1 pinch sea salt
4-5 quarts liquid nitrogen*
Ingredients for Rochefort 10 Trappist Caramel:
11.2 oz. Rochefort Trappist 10, Abbaye Notre-Dame de Saint-Remy
2 cups soft dark sugar
8 oz. heavy cream, not ultra-pasteurized, preferably organic
1 pinch sea salt
Directions: Rochefort 8 Ice Cream Base
In a medium-sized pot, add the bottle of Rochefort 8. Over low heat, warm this Trappist ale to a soft simmer and until the volume reaches 5 ounces. This slow cooking will help caramelize the sugars and intensify the flavors of fig, vanilla, honey, date, and plum. Remove from the heat and add to the Ice Cream Base.
In another medium-sized pot, combine the cream, milk, sugar, and soft dark sugar over medium heat. Stir to dissolve the sugar and bring mixture to 170°F | 77°C and remove from heat. In a separate bowl, add egg yolks and salt, whisking for a minute until pale yellow. Whisk in 2 ounces of hot cream mixture to the yolks, to temper them. Add another 2 ounces, whisking to slowly warm the egg yolks, preventing them from scrambling. Pour the yolk mixture back into the remaining cream mixture, whisking to incorporate. Place the pan back over medium heat and stir constantly until the mixture thickens. The temperature should be about 168-170°F | 77°C. Remove from heat, stir in the Rochefort 8 beer reduction, and strain the mixture through a fine sieve into another bowl, to remove any cooked yolk and create a silk-smooth finished product. Chill mixture in either a water bath or refrigerator, until mixture is cold (around 36°F | 2°C).
Directions: Rochefort 10 Trappist Caramel
In a Dutch oven pot, with a thick bottom core to prevent scorching, add the Rochefort 10, leaving any yeast behind, and the soft dark sugar; stir to combine. Place the pan over medium-high heat and bring the mixture to a boil. The mixture will foam up and double in size. Once the mixture is boiling, stop stirring the liquid. Continue to boil and reduce the mixture until the temperature reads 238°F | 114°C, a soft ball stage. Add in the cream slowly, as the mixture will spit and spatter briefly. Add in the salt and continue to cook the caramel for another 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the Rochefort 10 Beer Caramel Sauce to a pint-size mason jar. Refrigerate until 36°F | 2°C.
To make Rochefort 8 Ice Cream:
Pre-freeze a medium-sized stainless steel bowl and a spatula in the freezer for at least 15 minutes. This will be used after the ice cream is set, to swirl in the Rochefort 10 Beer Caramel.
Place your cooled ice cream base into the bowl of an electric ice cream maker. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions and freeze accordingly. Pour the soft ice cream into the cold stainless steel bowl and pour ribbons of the Rochefort 10 Caramel over the ice cream. Using the spatula, carefully fold in the ribbons using 2-3 turns of the utensil. Pour some more ribbons onto the ice cream. There will be extra caramel sauce that can be used at the time of service, or to be used in another recipe. Pour the final swirled ice cream into a tight sealing container and freeze for at least four hours to let the flavors meld.
*Optional Ice Cream Freezing Method: Liquid Nitrogen
In a 6-quart stainless steel bowl add half of the cooled ice cream base and carefully add about 2 cups of liquid nitrogen, pouring in the center of the bowl slowly. After the liquid nitrogen has been added, stir slowly using a spatula, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl until the liquid nitrogen has evaporated. Notice the thickness of the base in relation to soft-serve ice cream. Repeat this same procedure until the ice cream has set, usually with about 6-8 cups of liquid Nitrogen per half batch. If you over-freeze the mixture, continue to stir, equalizing the temperature of the whole mixture. If the mixture is frozen solid, add some of the remaining base and let sit for a minute or two. Serve immediately.
(Home Brew Chef Sean Z. Paxton www.homebrewchef.com)
