Ever since I gushed about my Salted Caramel Ice Cream on Facebook, I’ve gotten numerous requests for the recipe. So I thought I should finally get around to posting it.
Let me preface this by saying that I do NOT have a good track record with ice cream. I literally only have a 50% success rate. At least half of all my attempts at making the frozen treat wound up dumped down the drain. I have lamented this problem for several years, and sought advice from experts. I’ve blamed it, at various times, on the recipes, my freezer, my ice cream maker, and of course my own error and/or lack of skill. Has anyone else had these problems with making ice cream at home?
Anyhoo, while I still haven’t figured out the problem, I have found at least once recipe that has turned out perfectly every time: Salted Caramel Ice Cream. Triple bonus points for the fact that it’s so delicious it makes me swoon.
The original recipe is by Aida Mollenkamp and can be found on Chow. I’ve made few changes to it so far, but the recipe is a work in progress for me. Most recently, I swapped out kosher salt for the tasty flakes of Maldon sea salt, which I think gives the ice cream a slightly saltier taste even at the same ratio. Next time, I will experiment with adding the kosher salt into the unfrozen custard, then stirring in the Maldon flakes while it’s processing in the ice cream maker, the goal being to get little crunches of delightful sea salt with each spoonful.
So, experiment away. Just keep me posted on your successes!
Salted Caramel Ice Cream
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup half-and-half
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, scraped, and seeds reserved
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
6 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon Maldon sea salt (or good old kosher salt if you want)
Prepare an ice water bath by filling a bowl halfway with ice and water; set aside. Combine cream, half-and-half, and vanilla seeds in a large bowl and set aside.
Combine sugar and water in a large saucepan (make sure it’s stainless steel or at least light in color, so you can monitor the color of the caramel) and stir until mixture resembles wet sand. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Let boil until mixture turns dark amber in color and smells toasted, about 5 to 7 minutes. Immediately remove from heat and slowly add cream mixture, whisking until evenly incorporated. Return the saucepan to the stove and place over medium-low heat to keep warm.
Meanwhile, whisk egg yolks in a large bowl until pale yellow, about 5 minutes. Whisking constantly, slowly pour about 1 cup of the caramel sauce into the eggs. Pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining caramel sauce, stir in salt, and cook over low heat, stirring constantly until it is as viscous as melted ice cream and coats the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes. (When you draw your finger across the spoon, it should not run back in on itself.)
Remove from heat and strain through a fine mesh strainer into a large heatproof bowl. Place the bowl into the ice water bath to chill, about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Once the ice cream base is cold, cover and place in the refrigerator to chill completely, at least 3 hours or overnight. Once it’s chilled, freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. The ice cream will keep in the freezer for 1 week.
Let me preface this by saying that I do NOT have a good track record with ice cream. I literally only have a 50% success rate. At least half of all my attempts at making the frozen treat wound up dumped down the drain. I have lamented this problem for several years, and sought advice from experts. I’ve blamed it, at various times, on the recipes, my freezer, my ice cream maker, and of course my own error and/or lack of skill. Has anyone else had these problems with making ice cream at home?
Anyhoo, while I still haven’t figured out the problem, I have found at least once recipe that has turned out perfectly every time: Salted Caramel Ice Cream. Triple bonus points for the fact that it’s so delicious it makes me swoon.
The original recipe is by Aida Mollenkamp and can be found on Chow. I’ve made few changes to it so far, but the recipe is a work in progress for me. Most recently, I swapped out kosher salt for the tasty flakes of Maldon sea salt, which I think gives the ice cream a slightly saltier taste even at the same ratio. Next time, I will experiment with adding the kosher salt into the unfrozen custard, then stirring in the Maldon flakes while it’s processing in the ice cream maker, the goal being to get little crunches of delightful sea salt with each spoonful.
So, experiment away. Just keep me posted on your successes!
Salted Caramel Ice Cream
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup half-and-half
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, scraped, and seeds reserved
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
6 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon Maldon sea salt (or good old kosher salt if you want)
Prepare an ice water bath by filling a bowl halfway with ice and water; set aside. Combine cream, half-and-half, and vanilla seeds in a large bowl and set aside.
Combine sugar and water in a large saucepan (make sure it’s stainless steel or at least light in color, so you can monitor the color of the caramel) and stir until mixture resembles wet sand. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Let boil until mixture turns dark amber in color and smells toasted, about 5 to 7 minutes. Immediately remove from heat and slowly add cream mixture, whisking until evenly incorporated. Return the saucepan to the stove and place over medium-low heat to keep warm.
Meanwhile, whisk egg yolks in a large bowl until pale yellow, about 5 minutes. Whisking constantly, slowly pour about 1 cup of the caramel sauce into the eggs. Pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining caramel sauce, stir in salt, and cook over low heat, stirring constantly until it is as viscous as melted ice cream and coats the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes. (When you draw your finger across the spoon, it should not run back in on itself.)
Remove from heat and strain through a fine mesh strainer into a large heatproof bowl. Place the bowl into the ice water bath to chill, about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Once the ice cream base is cold, cover and place in the refrigerator to chill completely, at least 3 hours or overnight. Once it’s chilled, freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. The ice cream will keep in the freezer for 1 week.
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