Beer Shakes and Chocolate Ice Cream

Beer... shakes?  That's the response that this phrase usually gets.  YES is the answer.  It isn't complicated.  It's a milkshake, with beer and ice cream.  The art is in the pairing.  Dark beers go perfectly with a rich chocolate ice cream.  Strawberry ice cream with a cherry beer?  I think so, yes.  Making a beer shake is as easy as putting both in a blender, or putting both in a cup and stirring vigorously (careful, beer gets pretty excited and likes to make a mess!).  Our chocolate ice cream below went well with a Uinta Hoodoo Kolsch-style ale. 

Hooray for iPhone cameras!  This beer shake didn't last long.

If you have one of your own wonderful ice-cream making contraptions this is an even more pleasing dish, as this chocolate ice cream is amazing.  Yes, Alton Brown with Food Network again!  Almost 150 reviews, all five stars?  That's the one!

After cooking the mixture, there may be some clumps at the bottom - you can strain these or pretend they don't exist and get out a spoon because they are a delicious taste of things to come.


Chocolate Ice Cream
From the Food Network
Special equipment: Ice cream maker.  A candy thermometer is also helpful.

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 ounces unsweetened cocoa powder, approximately 1/2 cup
3 cups half-and-half
1 cup heavy cream
8 large egg yolks
9 ounces sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS
1. Place the cocoa powder along with 1 cup of the half-and-half into a medium or medium-large saucepan over medium heat and whisk to combine. Add the remaining half-and-half and the heavy cream. Bring the mixture just to a simmer, stirring occasionally, and remove from the heat.

2. In a mixing bowl whisk the egg yolks until they lighten in color. Gradually add the sugar and whisk to combine. Temper the cream mixture into the eggs and sugar by gradually adding small amounts, until about 1/3 of the cream mixture has been added (this cooks the eggs without having cooked eggs).  Pour in the remainder and return the entire mixture to the saucepan and place over low heat. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon and reaches 170 to 175 degrees F. Pour the mixture into a container and allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.

3. Stir in the vanilla extract. Place the mixture uncovered into the refrigerator and once it is cool enough not to form condensation on the lid, cover and store for 4 to 8 hours.

4. Pour into an ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer's directions. This should take approximately 25 to 35 minutes. Serve as is for soft serve or freeze for another 3 to 4 hours to allow the ice cream to harden.

5. Mix with a beer of your choice and enjoy!