Although we're fans of Irish coffee, this particular incarnation as a coffee ice cream sundae with a whiskey—spiked caramel sauce is so insanely good, we suspect you'll be indulging in this far more often than the drink itself! For more seasonal recipes, download the free Gourmet Live app and stay tuned to the Gourmet Live blog for the latest updates.
•Crisp can be made 4 days ahead and kept in an airtight container at room temperature. (Watch out, though; it's so delicious, you will be hard—pressed to resist devouring all of it before your guests arrive!)
•Sauce can be made 4 days ahead and chilled, covered. Re-warm to serve. Any leftover sauce will keep, chilled, at least 1 week.
Recipe information
Total Time
1 1/2 hours
Yield
Makes 8 servings
Ingredients
For coffee nut crisp:
For sauce:
Preparation
Make crisps:
Step 1
Preheat oven to 325°F with rack in middle. Line a rimmed sheet pan with a nonstick baking liner, or line it with foil and lightly oil foil.
Step 2
Whisk egg white with sugar, coffee powder, and a pinch of salt in a bowl until blended. Stir in walnuts until coated. Spread mixture into a 10- by 8-inch rectangle in pan.
Step 3
Bake until crisp is dry to the touch, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer pan to a rack to cool completely.
Step 4
Loosen crisp with a metal spatula and break into small pieces.
Make sauce:
Step 5
Bring sugar and water to a boil in a 2-quart heavy saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Boil without stirring, but washing down any sugar crystals with a brush dipped in cold water, until syrup begins to turn golden, about 5 minutes. Continue to boil, swirling pan occasionally, until syrup is a deep golden caramel.
Step 6
Remove pan from heat and carefully add whiskey, cream, and salt (mixture will bubble up and steam and caramel will harden).
Step 7
Return pan to heat and simmer, stirring, until caramel is dissolved and sauce is smooth. Cool to warm.
Step 8
Serve sauce over scoops of coffee ice cream then sprinkle with walnut crisp.
Recipe notes
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