If you haven't tried coffee ice cream, you have missed one of the most delicious and delightful uses to which this wondrous bean can be put. If you thought coffee was only a hot drink for perking yourself up, then you need to think again. Coffee is a very versatile thing, and lends itself equally well to drinks and to desserts, and even has medicinal uses.

Worldwide, coffee is one the most popular flavors for ice cream. All the top-selling ice cream brands sell the flavor, and now you can enjoy some without running to your nearest Baskin-Robbins outlet! Make some coffee ice cream in your home here's how.

First, be sure to select quality coffee beans only, because any compromise on this is likely to ruin the flavor of your coffee ice cream. Arabica beans are preferred over Robusta. Take about half a cup and roast it in the microwave at 400 Fahrenheit for 10 minutes or so. Then crush them fine and store them in an airtight container.

Add about two cups of milk to two cups of heavy cream, and mix in the crushed beans. Pour the mixture in a saucepan over the fire and bring it to just under a boil, stirring all the while. Then take it off the fire and wait for an hour or so, while it cools and the coffee spreads its flavor throughout. Coffee ice cream must be evenly flavored, and concentrations of coffee in particular spots can only harm the overall effect.

Collect the yolks of 8 eggs, and add slightly less than a cup of sugar to them. Pour the milk-and-cream mixture into the eggs-and-sugar, and whisk thoroughly till the whole thing is quite blended together.

Put the new mixture into the saucepan and cook it over a medium heat. You should use a wooden spoon to stir it constantly, because metal can react and destroy the flavor of coffee ice cream. You'll know it's done when the broth thickens slightly, and begins to coat the backside of the wooden spoon. Take it off the fire and pass it through a fine-meshed strainer, to take out the coarser coffee bean remnants and possible eggshell bits.

Pour the custard-like stuff into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. Adding some home-made coffee brittles at this point would be a nice touch, both as garnish and flavoring agent. You can easily make some with espresso beans, sugar and butter, but that is the subject of another article. If you intend to do this, then don't wait till the coffee ice cream is totally frozen, but pour it semi-soft into another container and stir the brittles in. Then use plastic wrap to cover it tightly, before freezing. The leftover brittles, if any, would be a nice touch if sprinkled on top before serving.

These measures yield about a litre of coffee ice cream; if you need more, adjust according to ratio.