Aug 24

Aug 24 Flavor of the Moment: Cookies & Komo Coffee

Homemade ice cream for the Biscoff and coffee lover.

The backstory

After a brief stint of churn-out, the ice cream maker is back on the counter. For us, ice cream is comfort food - it counts, right? And when it comes to comfort, I go back to flavors of my childhood. Growing up in our coffee-farming family, I found the joy of java early. As a kid, I remember waking up in my grandparents’ place in Kona, stumbling into the kitchen and smelling a fresh pot of Komo coffee. Grandma would say, “Are you ready for breakfast? Want toast? Papaya?”

“Where’s Grandpa?” I’d ask.

“He’s upstairs in the store.”

I’d go out the back door just off the kitchen, walk up a steep driveway and hop onto the porch of the K. Komo Store. Stepping in, I’d hear the “ding dong” of the invisible doorbell beam that would signal the arrival of a customer. “Oh good morning, Aaron.” Grandpa has a way of always being able to talk and smile at the same time. “Did you have breakfast?” … “Yes.” … “Want a Drumstick?” … “Okay.” :)

On tip toes, I’d flip open the top of the freezer, bypass the Hot Pockets and grab a Drumstick, grasping the cone through the plastic wrapper with a grin.

I’d sit in the back of the store where all the boxes and crates of unsold items had yet to be priced and stocked on shelves. This is also where Grandpa stored all the packaged coffee ready to be picked up or shipped out. After breaking through the peanut-chocolate shell, I’d lick the ice cream, smelling the hundreds of pounds of roasted coffee beans while watching Grandpa man the store. The scent of coffee and sensation of ice cream for breakfast has embedded this nostalgic memory that I recall whenever I have a scoop of coffee ice cream.

Flavor of the Moment

While I can appreciate a pure scoop of ice cream without any toppings or mix-ins, I also love when a flavor has texture. So, to complement the Komo coffee, I added crumbled Biscoff cookies. Perhaps my wanderlust leaves me longing for an in-flight experience by craving these cookies I usually have on a plane? Whatever the reasoning, I like a Biscoff and coffee combo, so I knew I’d love it as an ice cream.

Make the Ice Cream Base recipe in the Salt & Straw Ice Cream Cookbook

Instructions
Make the ice cream base. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

In another airtight container, mix 1/2 cup of coffee grounds and 1/2 cup of chilled water. Shake up and let it sit for at least 24 hours at room temperature.

Using a fine mesh strainer, separate the coffee extract form the coffee grounds. If there are still grounds in the liquid, strain again.

Stir the coffee extra into the chilled ice cream base.

Get your ice cream maker ready and pour the mixture in. We have a Cuisinart Ice-70 which has a handy ice cream setting that sets a timer for 25 minutes. Churn it until the consistency looks like soft serve, around 20-22 minutes. You’ll find your sweet spot.

While that’s churning, throw about a dozen Biscoff cookies into a bowl and get to crushing. I like to crumble them into soybean-sized pieces. Set aside.

Get your freezer-friendly container and start to spoon in the ice cream while sprinkling on the cookie crumbles.

Once your container is full, cover with parchment paper, gently pressing down to squeeze out any air bubbles. Put a lid on it, make sure it’s secure and put it in the back of your freezer.

Let it firm for at least 8 hours. I usually let it sit for 12 before serving.

Get scoopin’!