Some would argue that the season is over for frozen desserts but I say coffee ice cream all year round! Fresh dairy and quality coffee are always readily available. Also pie season is upon us and à la mode is always à la mode.

Personally, I prefer my ice cream blended into a thick, creamy beverage. To the rest of the world it's a frappe or a milkshake but where I'm from, Rhode Island, we call them cabinets and we specialize in the coffee variety. I grew up drinking this heavenly treat at Delekta's, a mom and pop pharmacy seated on Main Street in Warren's sleepy town center. Delekta's makes their own coffee syrup and serves your beverage half in a classic soda pop glass and half in the malt mixer it was made in. A perfect pick-me-up for a bad day or a...well, actually I think these are perfect for any day, any weather, any mood.

Now, I live in Boston where good frappes are easy to come by; J.P. Licks extra thick Coffee Oreo is the clear winner. But my favorite Boston frappe doesn't come close to the cabinets back home. So when my boyfriend, Ben, procured his own malt mixer, I knew our next cooking project had to be homemade coffee cabinets.

We adapted an American ice cream recipe from Food and Wine Magazine and we concocted our own coffee syrup recipe that we spiked with bourbon. I am confident in saying that this cabinet was the best one I have ever had, but I am probably biased. I hope you try it out for yourself and tell me how it ranks in your frappe/milkshake/cabinet experiences.

Susanna & Benjamin's Extra Thick Bourbon Coffee Cabinet

Coffee Ice Cream

INGREDIENTS:
2 c. heavy cream
1 c. whole milk
3/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. dark roast coffee ground fine
Pinch of salt

DIRECTIONS:Combine the cream, milk, sugar, coffee and salt in a sauce pan and bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar completely. Once dissolved, strain mixture through a fine mesh strainer to remove excess coffee grinds. Some grinds will remain, don't fret! This gives the ice cream flavor and a nice speckled appearance. Pour the ice cream into a chilled bowl and let cool completely, stirring occasionally. Refrigerate until very cold. Pour into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer the ice cream to a plastic container, cover and freeze until firm, at least 3 hours.
DONE!

Bourbon Coffee Syrup

INGREDIENTS:
3 c. strongly brewed dark roast coffee
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. bourbon

DIRECTIONS: Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan and bring to a boil stirring constantly. Reduce to a simmer and stir occasionally until mixture has reduced to 12 oz.

CABINET

Scoop four large rounded scoops of ice cream into malt mixer. Fill mixer 2/3 of the way with whole milk. Add one tablespoon of bourbon coffee syrup and blend until smooth. Proportions can and should be altered to suite your cabinet preferences.

ENJOY