Cola Float

Ingredients

• 12 ounces plain seltzer
• 1 recipe Real Vanilla Ice Cream, recipe follows
• 1/4 cup cola syrup, recipe follows
• 4 maraschino cherries

Directions

Pour 2 ounces seltzer in each of 4 parfait glasses. Add 2 scoops of ice cream. Top with 2 tablespoons cola syrup, about 1 ounce more of the seltzer, and garnish with a cherry.

Real Vanilla Ice Cream:

• 4 cups half-and-half
• 1 vanilla bean pod, cut and scraped
• Pinch salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 8 whole egg yolks

Combine the half-and-half, vanilla bean and seeds and salt, in a nonreactive saucepan over medium heat. Bring the half-and-half to a boil to scald it, and remove the saucepan from the heat.

Beat the sugar and egg yolks in a bowl. Add the half-and-half mixture, about 1/4 cup at a time, to the beaten eggs and sugar, whisking in between each addition, until all is used. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook, stirring, over medium heat, for 5 to 6 minutes, or until the mixture becomes thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat, strain through a fine mesh sieve and cool completely.

Pour the filling into the ice cream machine and follow the manufacturer's instructions for churning time. Remove the ice cream from the machine and place in a freezer-safe container and freeze until firm, about 8 hours.

Yield: about 6 cups

Cola Syrup:

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 10 whole black peppercorns, cracked
• 1 lemon peeled (wide strips no pith), juiced and strained
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup crushed coffee beans
• 1 cinnamon stick
• Whole vanilla bean, split, scraped and bean

Simmer all ingredients for 10 minutes. Cool to room temperature, cover, and steep refrigerated for several hours and up to overnight. Strain through a fine sieve.

Yield: about 1 3/4 cups syrup