Submitted by Heather
There are many salted caramel recipes everywhere you look these days. While other recipes combine the caramel with brownies or cakes, this one showcases the lovely caramel flavor without any competition. It is smooth, and caramelly (not sure that's a word...) and salty and perfect. It does involve a couple of steps, but if you could taste the goodness that awaits you at the end of this process you wouldn't bat an eye at what you have to do to get there.
I don't make ice cream very often, but I can't wait to make this one again. I initially planned on making chocolate ice cream, but I'm so glad I noticed this recipe and changed my mind. I brought it to an ice cream themed baby shower, where there were many delicious offerings. I think we should have more occasions where there's an ice cream bar - it was an awesome idea! My favorite way to eat this ice cream is to serve it with toasted pecans that have been tossed with browned butter.
Note: I actually made this ice cream a teeny, tiny bit lighter based on some recommendations from the comments in the recipe. You can make the recipe as written below, or reduce the heavy cream to 1 1/4 C. and substitute 1 C. half and half for the other cup of heavy cream. It was divine lightened, so I'm sure it's even better with all cream!
Salted Caramel Ice Cream
Yield: Makes about 1 quart
Active Time: 30 min
Total Time: 4 hr
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups sugar, divided
2 1/4 cups heavy cream, divided
1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt such as Maldon (or 1/2 -3/4 tsp kosher salt)*
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup whole milk
3 large eggs
Warm 1 1/4 cups cream in the microwave and add to the caramel (mixture may splatter) Cook, stirring, until all of caramel has dissolved. Transfer to a bowl and stir in sea salt and vanilla. Cool to room temperature.
Meanwhile, bring milk, remaining cup cream, and remaining 1/4 cup sugar just to a boil in a small heavy saucepan, stirring occasionally.
Lightly whisk eggs in a medium bowl, then add half of hot milk mixture in a slow stream, whisking constantly. Pour back into saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until custard coats back of spoon and registers 170°F on an instant-read thermometer (do not let boil). Pour custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl, then stir in cooled caramel.
Chill custard, stirring occasionally, until very cold, 3 to 6 hours. Freeze custard in ice cream maker (it will still be quite soft), then transfer to an airtight container and put in freezer to firm up. Ice cream keeps 1 week.
Yield: Makes about 1 quart
Active Time: 30 min
Total Time: 4 hr
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups sugar, divided
2 1/4 cups heavy cream, divided
1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt such as Maldon (or 1/2 -3/4 tsp kosher salt)*
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup whole milk
3 large eggs
*I don't know what the substitution would be if you used regular table salt, but I'm guessing not more than 1/4 tsp.
Equipment: an ice cream maker
Heat 1 cup sugar in a dry 10-inch heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring with a fork to heat sugar evenly, until it starts to melt, then stop stirring and cook, swirling skillet occasionally so sugar melts evenly, until it is dark amber. Note: make sure to get the caramel a nice medium-dark brown. If the caramel is too light the finished product won't have an intense enough caramel flavor, though I'm sure it would still be good.
Equipment: an ice cream maker
Heat 1 cup sugar in a dry 10-inch heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring with a fork to heat sugar evenly, until it starts to melt, then stop stirring and cook, swirling skillet occasionally so sugar melts evenly, until it is dark amber. Note: make sure to get the caramel a nice medium-dark brown. If the caramel is too light the finished product won't have an intense enough caramel flavor, though I'm sure it would still be good.
Just the sugar - melted until a dark amber
Caramel with cream added
Warm 1 1/4 cups cream in the microwave and add to the caramel (mixture may splatter) Cook, stirring, until all of caramel has dissolved. Transfer to a bowl and stir in sea salt and vanilla. Cool to room temperature.
Meanwhile, bring milk, remaining cup cream, and remaining 1/4 cup sugar just to a boil in a small heavy saucepan, stirring occasionally.
Lightly whisk eggs in a medium bowl, then add half of hot milk mixture in a slow stream, whisking constantly. Pour back into saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until custard coats back of spoon and registers 170°F on an instant-read thermometer (do not let boil). Pour custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl, then stir in cooled caramel.
Chill custard, stirring occasionally, until very cold, 3 to 6 hours. Freeze custard in ice cream maker (it will still be quite soft), then transfer to an airtight container and put in freezer to firm up. Ice cream keeps 1 week.
Source: Slightly adapted from Epicurious.com
Just wanted to attest that this was absolutely DIVINE! I hope I can pull it off myself!
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