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Cognac-Ice-Cream Sandwiches

This recipe came to The Times from Meg Ray and Caitlin Williams, the owners of Miette Cakes, a bakery in San Francisco. They reimagined a classic booze pie as ice-cream sandwiches, literally a children’s dessert for adults. They replaced the graham-cracker crust with homemade graham crackers, turned the mousse into ice cream and elevated it with a relatively abstemious dose of Cognac. On the surface, it’s a tasty trifle, but there is subtlety too, with a little cinnamon here, some salt there.

Ingredients

For the graham crackers:

  • 2cups flour
  • ½cup wheat flour
  • 1teaspoon salt
  • ½teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1cup unsalted butter
  • ½cup packed dark brown sugar
  • ¼cup honey

For the Cognac ice cream:

  • 1cup milk
  • 2cups cream
  • ⅔cup sugar
  • 6egg yolks
  • 2tablespoons Cognac
  • 2tablespoons chocolate liqueur
  • Nutritional Information
      • Nutritional analysis per serving (10 servings)

        597 calories; 37 grams fat; 23 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 10 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 59 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 34 grams sugars; 5 grams protein; 134 milligrams cholesterol; 268 milligrams sodium

    Note: Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available data.

Makes 10 ice-cream sandwiches

Preparation

  1. Make the graham crackers: sift together the flours, salt and cinnamon. Set aside. In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar. Add the honey and mix until blended. Add the dry ingredients in two batches, mixing until combined before adding the second batch. Mold the dough into 2 balls, wrap in plastic, flatten and chill for at least an hour.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out half the dough on a piece of parchment paper to a large square, 1/8-inch thick. Cut the sheet of dough into 3- by 3-inch squares, leaving them as is on the parchment; trim any excess dough from the edges. Transfer this sheet of dough to a baking sheet, using the parchment paper to lift it. Repeat with the remaining dough. Chill for 30 minutes. Bake until golden, 14 to 16 minutes. Let cool, then break into precut squares.
  3. Make the ice cream: in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, heat the milk, cream and sugar until the sugar dissolves. Do not boil. Gently whisk the yolks in a bowl. Temper them by pouring 1/2 cup of the hot liquid into them, then whisk this into the hot liquid in the pan. Over medium heat, cook the custard, stirring continuously in a figure-eight pattern until it coats the back of a spoon. Strain into a heatproof bowl. Stir in the alcohol, then chill in the refrigerator. Churn in an ice-cream maker until thick. Freeze until firm.
  4. Assemble the sandwiches: scoop the ice cream onto a graham cracker, top with another graham cracker, press gently and serve.

2 hour 30 minutes

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