Bock Tracks Ice Cream

 

Beer and ice cream has come together again. I wanted to vamp on rocky road but was a bit stumped on which beer to use. Bock seemed like an ideal fit...particularly due to the name of the style. Bock. Goat. And their tendency to frolic among rocky crevices and outcroppings.

Thus, Bock Tracks was born.

In order to keep the boozy flavor of the bock in the forefront, I opted to skip the traditional chocolate base rocky road ice cream is know for and instead just stuck with those classic mix-ins of nuts, marshmallows and chocolate chips.

Adapted from America's Test Kitchen and The Brown Eyed Baker

yields about 1 quart

The Ingredients:
12 oz bock beer, divided
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 to 3/4 cup sugar
3 egg yolks
1/8 tsp salt
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup mini marshmallows
1 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

The Process:
In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, add 10 oz of the beer, reserving the remaining 2 oz. Reduce to about half, stirring to prevent the beer from foaming up. Combine the reduced beer to the reserved 2 oz. Add the vanilla and set aside to cool.

Set up an ice bath of cold water and ice in a large bowl. Set fine mesh strainer over a medium-sized bowl and position into the ice bath. Set aside.

In a clean, medium saucepan, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar and salt until smooth. Whisk in the cream until well combined. Set over medium-low heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the custard begins to thicken. Keep the stovetop low and continue gently stirring to avoid inadvertently making scrambled eggs. Bring the custard up to 180 F and promptly remove from heat.

Carefully strain the custard through the fine mesh strainer into the bowl set over the ice bath. Pour slowly...you don't want to capsize the custard into the ice bath below. Whisk in the reduced beer. Allow the custard to cool to room temperature, stirring periodically. Remove from the ice bath, cover, and let chill in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight.

Using an ice cream maker, freeze the chilled base according to the manufacturer's directions.  Once the ice cream has finished churning fold in the marshmallows, nuts and chocolate chips.

Transfer the ice cream to a 1.5 qt container and allow to set in the freezer for an additional 24 hours.