This recipe began as a happy accident. I was making tiramisu and had some ingredients left over. I threw everything into a bowl, along with an extra egg or two, then mixed and mixed. After concluding that it was too liquidy to be of any immediate use, I tossed it into the freezer and went about the rest of my afternoon. The next day: Voilà! Custardy, rummy, caffeinated ice cream! And wow, was it an incredibly delicious accident. It was the best ice cream (in both flavor and texture) I have had in a while. Here is a variation on my impromptu creation. I will modify this post as I perfect the proportions.
INGREDIENTS:
- 8 oz. mascarpone cheese (e.g. BelGioioso which comes in an air-tight plastic tub)
- 3 whole eggs (from happy healthy chickens)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus 1 tbsp
- 1/8 cup freshly made strong espresso, cooled to room temperature (“Moka” coffee/espresso using the stovetop method works too)
- 1/8 cup rum (e.g. Cruzan Black Strap Rum)
DIRECTIONS:
- CREAM BASE. Put the 3 egg whites into one medium-sized mixing bowl and the 3 egg yolks (with white thread removed) into second medium-sized mixing bowl.
- In the bowl with the yolks, add the 1/2 cup sugar, 2 tbsp espresso, and 3 tbsp rum. With a stiff whisk, whisk all the ingredients together for at least a few minutes until well blended and until the sugar begins to dissolve.
- Gradually add all the mascarpone cheese to the bowl, a few tablespoons at a time, whisking thoroughly to ensure that all bits of mascarpone are sufficiently dissolved, until smooth evenly-colored cream results. Vigorous, energetic stirring is recommended to achieve an extra airy creaminess. You can choose to alternate between this step and Step 4, working on both items simultaneously.
- WHIPPED EGG WHITES. In the bowl with the egg whites, add the remaining 1 tbsp sugar. With a flexible whisk or hand beater, whisk/beat the whites and sugar together until the whites are white, fluffy, shiny, and form moderately stiff peaks. Do not whisk further (if whisking by hand like I do, you could be tired by now anyway).
- Slowly add the whipped egg whites to the cream base, gently folding them in with the stiff whisk until well blended, forming a smooth evenly-colored cream.
- FLAVOR. Stir in what remains of the 1/8 cup espresso and 1/8 cup rum. Have a taste. Add additional rum and/or espresso to adjust flavor as desired, but be careful to not add so much that it turns watery. The thicker, the better. Mix until blended, but do not over-mix.
- Pour into a food/freezer-safe container with tight-fitting lid, preferably all glass (or stone, if you’re like that) and store in the freezer overnight, or at least 8 hours, longer if you can wait longer. Take it out to stir (and sample taste) once or twice during this time (optional step; no need to inconvenience yourself).
- When ready to indulge, mixture might need to be stirred thoroughly before eating. Try to share.
Note: When I update this post, I will modify the above quantities to yield exactly 1 pint of ice cream. This recipe makes more than 1 pint but less than 2, which is a rough estimate based on memory.
Culinary Poetry 
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