• 5 cups heavy cream
• ¼ pound decaffeinated coffee beans (see Note, above)
• 1¾ cups blanched almonds, toasted and ground
• 9 large egg yolks
• 1 cup sugar
• 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon almond extract

Heat the cream to barely simmering. Add the coffee beans and ground almonds and let steep 2½ hours.

Whisk the egg yolks and ½ cup sugar together in a mixing bowl. Pour the cream mixture through a cheesecloth-lined strainer into the yolk mixture. Gently stir in the remaining ingredients (do not whip; you want to avoid making froth).

Preheat the oven to 300°F. Pour the cream mixture into eight 6-ounce custard cups. Place these in a large baking pan and add enough hot water to the pan to come halfway up the sides of the cups. Cover the pan with foil and bake until the custards shake like Jello but are no longer runny, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove the custards from the pan and let cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate until serving time. Serve at room temperature.