Rolled Coffee-Cardamom Ice Cream

Makes 1 quart ice cream base

Rolled ice cream can be found throughout the Bay Area, but with the right tools, practice and a little patience, it can also be a fun weekend cooking project at home with friends. In a way, making ice cream rolls is a lot like making crepes — you have to spread the ice cream base very thinly to get it just right. The first few attempts may be duds, but even imperfect rolls will still be delicious. If you want to skip making rolls, the base is just as good churned in a countertop ice cream maker.

Ice cream

2 cups heavy whipping cream 2 cups half-and-half 1 cup sugar ¼ cup ground dark roast coffee 2 tablespoons green cardamom pods, crushed Pinch kosher salt Chopped chocolate-coffee bean bar, to garnish (optional)

Tools

Pot holders or heavy-duty gloves for handling the dry

ice Dry ice (see Note) Thin dish towel or tea towel Rimmed stainless steel baking sheet Two sturdy metal spatulas or paint scrapers

To make the ice cream base: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the cream, half-and-half, sugar, coffee, cardamom and salt. Bring to a simmer, then remove from the heat, cover and let steep for 30 minutes. Strain the liquid through a fine-mesh strainer and chill overnight.

To roll the ice cream: Using oven mitts or gloves, carefully place a block of dry ice, roughly the same size as your rimmed baking sheet, onto your work surface. Lay a dish towel or tea towel over the dry ice and place the baking sheet on top of the towel. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes to allow the baking sheet to become extremely cold. (Dry ice will help the baking sheet maintain a low surface temperature, which is important for making multiple batches of rolled ice cream.)

Working quickly, pour 1 cup of the chilled ice cream base onto the chilled baking sheet. Let the base sit for about a minute to begin to set slightly, then use the scrapers to work the ice cream — pressing, flipping and scraping the base frequently to prevent it from sticking to the surface.

When the ice cream is roughly the texture of mediumthick yogurt, push the mixture to the far edge of the baking sheet and use the scrapers to spread the mixture into a thin and uniform layer, about 1⁄8-inch to ¼-inch thick. This will help the mixture freeze evenly.

When the ice cream looks dry, after about 40 seconds, place one scraper at a 45-degree angle at the edge of the pan closest to you. Pushing away from you, in a smooth and quick motion, scrape off short rolls of the ice cream, using the second scraper to help guide the rolls if needed. (If the baking sheet gets too cold and the ice cream seems to brittle, briefly remove it from the dry ice to warm up slightly.)

Place the rolled ice cream into chilled serving bowls and garnish with chopped chocolate-coffee bean bar, if you like.