I guess I picked the wrong week to give up ice cream (see my last post).  My intentions were good, having recently acquired chef and cookbook author, David Lebovitz’s The Perfect Scoop, I told myself I would explore the somewhat lighter offerings from his granitas and sorbets sections. Blood Orange Granita…Champagne-Cassis Granita…Nectarine Granita…Tangerine Sorbet…Cherry Sorbet.  So many choices!  I settled on Pink Grapefruit Granita (again, see my last post).  It was light, zingy and refreshing.  I loved it and felt very satisfied with myself for avoiding most of the fat and some of the calories of full blown ice cream.  I was off to a good start.

Sure, I stole a few glances at some of the fabulous ice cream recipes in The Perfect Scoop…

Aztec “Hot” Chocolate Ice Cream…Cheesecake Ice Cream…Candied Cherry Ice Cream.…Gianduja Gelato

They all sound good, but they’ll have to wait because I had found the light, refreshing and tangy granita…

Toasted Almond…Tiramisu Ice Cream…

But seriously, I couldn’t wait to try the Lemon Sorbet, using the last of my meyer lemons of the season.  That’s what I’m making next.

Tin Roof Ice Cream…Vietnamese Coffee Ice Cream…

WHAT! VIETNAMESE COFFEE ICE CREAM!!!.  I love Vietnamese Coffee.  I love ice cream. Together in one bowl?!

Yes!

Vietnamese Coffee Ice Cream
Yields 1 quart

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 cups brewed espresso or brewed Trung Nguyen Vietnamese coffee
1/2 cup half-and-half
Big pinch of finely ground dark roast coffee

Method:
Whisk all the ingredients together. Chill mixture for 8 hours, preferably overnight. Pour chilled mixture into your ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Serve ice cream in bowl-shaped Cardamom, Almond, and Orange Tuiles (recipe follows below).

Store ice cream in an airtight container.

Adapted from David Lebovitz, The Perfect Scoop, Ten Speed Press, Berkeley, 2007.

Cardamom, Almond, and Orange Tuile
Yields 15-30 tuiles, depending on size

Ingredients:
1 1/2 ounces sliced almonds
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, very soft
2 egg whites
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom (I used a little more, about 3/4 teaspoon)
zest of one orange
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup all-purpose flour

Method:
Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Toast the sliced almonds for 5-10 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool slightly and finely chop. (I used my coffee grinder to pulse the almonds just until finely ground, but not “butter”.) Set aside.

Line a baking sheet with silpat or greased parchment paper. Set aside.

In a bowl, whisk together the butter, egg whites, salt, sugar, cardamom, orange zest, and vanilla. Add the almonds and flour and mix until well combined.

To make the tuile bowls, spread four thin layers of batter using a small off-set spatula, about 4 inches in diameter, onto the baking sheet. (After spreading the layer of batter, I used a 4-inch round cutter as a guide and wiped off the excess batter.)

Bake for 6-7 minutes, depending on the size of the tuiles, rotating the pan half-way through to facilitate even browning. Remove from oven and immediately use the spatula to transfer the tuiles onto the muffin tin. Carefully press down the tuiles onto the muffin cup with a ramekin or cup to make a bowl-like indentation. Let cool completely. (Many cookbooks instruct you to use the bottom of the muffin tin and drape the tuile onto the cups. I found this method more difficult.)

Tuile batter may be made ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a few days. Baked tuiles may be stored at room temperature in an airtight container if not using immediately.

Adapted from Desserts for Breakfast.