In 2013, as I was heading to college I found myself in a lot of conversations about what I should expect from college. Parents and other paternal figures instructed me about how this is one of the most important steps to completing an education and securing a good living, friends were hyped up about all the freedom, and others were just sharing their own college journeys. The one thing that I was the most excited about was meeting new people. Going to college in a diverse country like America meant that I would get to meet so many new people from different walks of life. People that come from different cultures, races, sexuality— things that a privileged high school in Delhi really could never offer.

The first week in college was strange. All the international kids were invited to move in early so that we could acclimatise to the new country, set up bank accounts, and buy all the things that we needed to. There were 150 of us that met for the first time and naturally people from the same country/region kind of glommed on to one another. It was natural for that to happen. I did the same thing. It felt comfortable. It felt less like I was going to spend the next four years in a foreign country, and more like I’m at camp and all these people are my new best friends for the summer. As the other kids moved in, I started to disassociate from the Indian cohort. I very quickly realised that if I was to make the most of the next four years, I cannot be spending time with people who come from Mumbai or Kolkata— it would be a waste of an investment. This was my time to be a true global citizen (or as American Immigration officers call it “be a Non-resident Alien”).

By the end of my four years, I made really nice niche of friends who, for the most part, weren’t from India (there were some ABCDs, I’m not gonna lie). Now, this isn’t to say that I didn’t miss home. It isn’t to say that when you looked at a fellow Indian you wouldn’t do a little head nod, or not celebrate Diwali by playing cards and teaching white people some curse words. I did do all of that. In fact, there is something beautiful about living in another country and spending time with someone who has lived a life similar to what you have. Some of my best memories stem from this sense of belonging. Two that come to mind— the first was spending the summer alone on campus and cooking food with Tanvi once a week. We would drink Jack Daniels, make Dal Chawal, and watch a Hindi movie which felt like a good dose of nostalgia. The second was going to Columbus (a city of about 20 minutes) with Rohin and Raghav. They were identical twins who were juniors when I was a freshman. They had a janky old car and knew literally everyone in college. They were the cool nerds. One was a great cook while the other was super involved on campus. Of all the people I met in college, Rohin and Raghav were consistently the most helpful. They were also the first ones to introduce to me the food scene in Columbus. Particularly, Jeni’s Ice Cream. Jeni’s is a Columbus-based scoop shop that amassed huge popularity in the years that I was in college. I remember in 2014, it had four stores in the city and every consecutive year, they grew to almost every major city in the country.

Jeni’s was the best part about a trip to the city. Each scoop shop had a modern-retro design. All the shopkeepers were super excited and greeted everyone with the same gusto and of course, the ice cream is to die for. Jeni Britton Bauer — the founder of Jeni’s started her career as a perfume maker which was something that she took ahead into the construction of her ice creams which always focussed on not only the unique taste but also the smell. Typically, you would purchase two scoops in a bowl and you would get a little triangle of waffle cone on the side (just the right amount of waffle cone). While the shop boasts some amazing flavours, I always loved the same three — worlds darkest chocolate, brown butter almond brittle, and Intelligentsia Black Cat Espresso. The year I left America, I bought her an ice cream cookbook. I knew that I may not come back for a while, but at least I could try making some of the ice creams.

This Coffee Chocolate ice cream is heavily inspired by Jeni’s Sweet Cream ice cream recipe from her cookbook. The flavours are an attempt and making the Intelligentsia Black Cat Espresso ice cream with Darkest Chocolate. The chocolate shavings are sliced fine and spread through the tub. Now, this ice cream does need some investment but trust me— it doesn’t disappoint. It’s no Jeni’s— but it’s close enough. I hope that you give this recipe a try and tag me on Instagram if you do! Happy Cooking <3

Glimpses from the week

Ingredients

550ml (2 and 2/3 cups) whole milk

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons cornstarch

4 tablespoons cream cheese, softened (optional)

2 tablespoons instant coffee powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

300 ml (1 and 1/2 cups) heavy cream (or double cream. 30% fat)

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup light corn syrup (optional. Add 1/4 cup sugar if you omit this ingredient)

100 grams of dark chocolate, shaved thin

Ice cream churn is needed. However, you can use a no-churn method too. This can be found here

Method

Prep

Mix about 2 tablespoons of milk with the cornstarch in a small bowl to make a smooth slurry.

Whisk the cream cheese and salt in a medium bowl until smooth.

Cook

Combine the remaining milk, cream, sugar, and corn syrup in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and boil for 4 minutes and take off the heat.

Add the cornstarch slurry to the mix and add back on the heat. Bring the milk back to a boil for 2-3 minutes. Add coffee powder and mix well. Remove from hit

Chill

Transfer the milk into a large metal bowl and place atop another bowl filled with ice, some water, and salt. This will help reduce the temperature of the milk. Keep in the fridge for 30 minutes or until the temperature of the mixture comes down to about 20 degrees celsius.

Now add the mix to a Ziploc bag and submerge in an ice bath for another 30 mins or until the mix reaches 4 degrees celsius. The Ziploc bag helps the whole mix reduce in temp very quickly.

Freeze

Remove the frozen canister and assemble the ice cream maker. I used the Kitchenif ice cream maker. Click here to purchase. Pour cream mixture into the canister and run for 20 minutes. Add chocolate shavings. Pour out the mix into a loaf tin and cover with cling film. Place the mixture in the back of the freezer overnight!