Cuban Coffee Ice Cream with Dark Chocolate and Dulche de Leche

Adapted from myrecipes.com (Sunset magazine)

1. In a bowl, beat egg yolks to blend.

2. In a 3- to 4-quart pan over medium-high heat, combine milk, cream, sugar, and coffee beans; stir until sugar is dissolved and mixture is simmering. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand 30 minutes. Pour through a fine strainer into a bowl; discard coffee beans. Rinse pan, return milk mixture to it, and bring to a simmer over low heat.

3. Whisk 1/2 cup of the warm milk mixture into egg yolks; then pour yolk mixture into pan. Stir constantly over low heat until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 4 to 6 minutes; do not boil.

4. Pour into a clean bowl and chill, stirring occasionally, until cold, about 2 hours; if desired, cover and chill up to 1 day.

5. Stir rum and vanilla into custard. Freeze mixture in a 1-quart or larger ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s directions. While ice cream is still soft, stir in chocolate chunks. Transfer ice cream to an airtight container and freeze until firm, at least 6 hours, or up to 1 week. Scoop into bowls and top with dulce de leche.

Dulce de Leche. In a heavy 5- to 6-quart pan over medium-high heat, stir 4 cups whole milk and 1 1/4 cups sugar until sugar is dissolved and mixture is boiling. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon baking soda. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally with a flexible spatula, until mixture is golden brown and reduced to about 2 cups, about 1 1/2 hours (mine took about 2 1/2 hours on very low heat). Pour through a fine strainer into a bowl; discard any residue. (* You may not have to do this step. Mine was smooth and rich and had no residue.)

Makes 2 cups.