caramel ice cream

so, this recipe that i found in gourmet magazine is the whole reason i bought the ice cream maker in the first place. the recipe is called grandpa roy's caramel ice cream and it was in the letters section in the july 2006 issue of gourmet. so, here goes:

1 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. heavy cream
1 c. whole milk
6 large egg yolks
2 tbsp light corn syrup

cook sugar and salt in a dry 4- to 5-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, undisturbed, until it begins to melt. continue to cook, stirring occasionaly, until suger is melted into a deep golden caramel, about 10 to 12 minutes.


The caramel and heavy cream mixture. Photo by Avgvstvs.

carefully pour in cream (this will bubble up faster and farther than you think and create loads of steam) and simmer over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally until caramel is dissolved. whisk in milk and return to just a boil, then remove from heat.


Adding the milk. Photo by Avgvstvs.

whisk together yolks and corn syrup in a large bowl until smooth, then add half of hot caramel cream in a slow stream, whisking until combined well. then add yolk mixture in a slow stream to remaining caramel cream in the pot. cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until mixture is thickened and about 170-75 degrees (coats back of spoon, about three minutes).


Stirring the custard. Photo by Avgvstvs.

pour caramel custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a metal bowl set in a larger bowl of ice, salt and cold water. cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. then cover and refrigerate until cold, at least an hour or two.

finally, freeze in an ice cream maker according to manufacturers instructions, then transfer to an airtight container and freeze to harden, at least four hours.

this recipe makes about 1 1/2 pints. serve the finished product alone sprinkled with sea salt (try it, it's really amazing) or with your favorite dessert. as you can see, i made a free form apple pie...


Dig in! Photo by Avgvstvs.