I’m a fan of beer in desserts, and my track record is proof. Guinness ice cream and cake, in particular. Something about stout and chocolate, it’s just a great combination.

The Butter Beer recipe intrigued me. Oatmeal stout (I didn’t have any, so I used Guinness), molasses, brown butter. It all sounds good to me.

I was curious about the butter, though. I’ve tried to make brown butter ice cream in the past, and it’s a delicate balance to get the flavor in there without overwhelming the texture with too much fat. There’s such a thing as too much fat, as incredulous as it sounds.

I was right, though – while the flavor of this ice cream is incredibly good (nutty, earthy, warm), I think it’s got just a bit too much fat. I don’t like having that greasy coating in my mouth after I take a bite. It’s not overwhelming, but it’s enough to bother me a bit.

I’m guessing that an alternative would be to cut the amount of cream, swapping it out with milk instead. Or, steep the milk and cream in the brown butter for flavor, then skim off the butter after it’s cooled.

Take a peek at more of the book at Google Books.

• Butter Beer Ice Cream (Humphry Slocombe Ice Cream Book , p. 106)