I sometimes joke that my dad sees me as the son he never had because he likes to bond with me over trying new beers. Sadly, this is a form of bonding I haven’t been able to participate in for the last several months, due to the fact that I am growing him a grandson. Apparently fetuses don’t take kindly to IPAs and porters.
In my drought, my dad has developed a love for Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale, and it seems like there is a growler of it in his fridge every time I go over to visit. Taunting me. I haven’t had the chance to try it yet, although I am a fan of bourbon ales in general. I’ve also been hearing a lot about New Belgium Brewing’s Fat Tire from him and my sister. I’m starting a list of post-pregnancy beers to try.
In addition to my own father’s betrayal, the father-of-my-child-to-be (aka husband) keeps bringing six packs into our house and consuming them all by himself. Sometimes he buys bottled root beer for me so I don’t feel left out. I’ve heard some partners stop drinking while their wives are pregnant, but even I’m not enough of a control freak to request that he do that. I don’t think he’d go for it, anyway.
I’m a little bit trying to pretend that this ice cream was made in honor of the fathers in my life. Which it totally is. I’ll be sharing this ice cream with my dad and my dad-in-law and the dad of my child. But I’d be lying if I didn’t say it is also an excuse for me to taste some beer. I figure a serving of this ice cream has about 1.5 tablespoons of diluted beer in it, so it’s safe for a pregnant woman to eat, but it definitely has enough beer flavor to give me my fix!
In keeping with my masculine-themed ice cream, I wanted some stereotypical bar food. After I’ve had a couple beers, I can eat about half a bag of pretzels by myself. Beer and pretzels should just get married. But since this is dessert, you should have some chocolate, right?
You would be surprised at the number of different stores I had to visit before I could find chocolate-covered pretzels. I’ve heard that global warming is affecting the chocolate-covered pretzel crop this year.
I hate saying that this is a dude’s dessert, because clearly women can and will enjoy it, too. But I will say that your dad and/or baby daddy will not be disappointed if you make this for him as a Fathers Day gift.
BEER & CHOCOLATE-COVERED PRETZEL ICE CREAM
- 2 cups (480 mL) heavy cream
- 1 cup (120 mL) whole milk
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¾ cups (150 grams) granulated sugar, divided
- 5 large egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup (60 mL) beer, preferably a dark beer (I used Deschutes Brewery’s Black Butte Porter)
- 2 cups (180 grams) chocolate-covered pretzels, roughly chopped
- In a large saucepan, combine cream, milk, salt, and ½ cup (100 grams) sugar. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.
- In the meantime, whisk together egg yolks and remaining ¼ cup (50 grams) sugar in a large bowl until smooth, thick, and light in color, about 3-5 minutes.
- When cream is simmering, remove from heat for about a minute. Temper the egg yolks by ladling approximately ½ cup of the hot cream into the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly with your opposite hand. Transfer the egg yolk mixture back into the saucepan with the rest of the cream, whisking to combine.
- Return the saucepan to medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and/or reaches 180°F. (It should be thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon and leave a path when you run your finger through it.)
- Remove saucepan from heat, transfer cream mixture to a large, clean bowl (pour through a fine mesh sieve if you think there are any lumps), and whisk in vanilla extract and beer.
- Place custard in the refrigerator to chill completely, about 2 hours. When cool, churn according to your ice cream maker’s manufacturer’s instructions, until it is a soft-serve consistency. This took about 30 minutes in my ice cream maker.
- With the ice cream maker still running, slowly add chocolate-covered pretzel pieces, allowing them to be distributed throughout the ice cream by the ice cream maker. (Alternatively, quickly stir them in by hand.) Immediately transfer to a container, press parchment paper against the top of the ice cream, and cover with a lid or plastic wrap. Freeze until firm, about 4 hours.
