This weekend I put some of those apples to good use. When there is pie there has to be ice cream. Now, I’m a purist when it comes to a lot of things including ice cream. There are few things better than a good vanilla ice cream. I’ve made enough vanilla ice creams that I didn’t want to make another. Caramel popped into my head since it is a common apple accompaniment and I am so glad it did. I turned to my cookbook, Sweet Cream and Sugar Cones, for a recipe.
This ice cream is delicious! It is the perfect complement to the pie. This is definitely the best ice cream I’ve ever made.
Salted Caramel Ice Cream
Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups heavy cream at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup 1% or 2% milk (I used whole milk)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
5 large egg yolks
Directions:
Make the caramel-
Set the cream by the stove so it’s ready when you need it. Measure out 1/2 cup of the sugar. Put 2 tablespoons of the sugar in a heavy pot over medium-high heat. When the sugar is melted around the edges and starts to turn amber in places, about 2 minutes, stir the mixture and add 2 more tablespoons to the pot. Continue to add the rest of the measured out sugar 2 tablespoons at a time, stirring frequently and allow most of the sugar to melt before you add more. After a few tablespoons I ended up dumping the rest in all at once since it was caramelizing too fast. It ended up fine.
When the caramel becomes a dark mahogany color, remove the pan from the heat. Immediately, slowly pour the cream into the pan. The mixture will bubble up so bear careful of splatters. When the bubbling stops, stir to completely blend the cream into the caramel. If there are hardened lumps of caramel, put the pan back on the stove over low heat and stir until it melted.
Make the base-
Once the caramel is completely smooth, stir in the milk along with the salt and put the pan over medium-high heat. When the mixture begins to simmer, reduce the heat to medium.
In a medium heatproof bowl, whisk the yolks and the remaining 1/4 cup sugar. Carefully scoop out 1/2 cup of the hot milk mixture and while constantly whisking add it to the egg mixture. Repeat with another 1/2 cup of the hot milk mixture. Using a heatproof spatula, stir the milk in the pot while slowly pouring in the egg mixture.
Stir the mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly until it is thickened and coats the back of the spatula and holds a clear path when you run your finger across the spatula. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve. Cool the mixture in a bowl set over an ice bath. Stir the base until it has cooled. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Freeze the ice cream per the manufacturers instructions. While the ice cream is freezing, put the storage container in the freezer to cool. After the ice cream is done, serve immediately or freezer for 4 hours for firmer ice cream.