My Writings. My Thoughts.

Sometimes things just don’t workout…. (S**t Happens!)

// December 15th, 2011 // No Comments » // Recipes

Tin Chef Chuck

Do you know what the difference is between an Iron Chef and a Tin Chef?  We don’t have producers, editors, sous chefs or helpers.  Their is no one to edit out our culinary “disasters”.  I am sure that every one has had their own kitchen disasters, including Michael Symon, Bobby Flay and all of the others.  You just never see theirs on TV.

When we have our disasters, things end up in the trash or the dogs eat well.  There is no one to edit it out for us.  Sometimes my test kitchen staff, meaning my wife and kids  just have to grin and bear it or we order pizza.  It happens to everyone.  So just accept it and open a bottle of wine and laugh it off.  In fact, if it doesn’t happen, you are not trying hard enough.  One piece of advice, if you are cooking a fancy new dish for the holidays or for a big party, try it out ahead of time.  It’s much better to serve something simple and delicious, than to try and pass off something you really hosed up.

A few nights ago I had my own disaster.  Several years ago in Italy we were walking around in Capri.  My son and I walked into a small shop and they had these cake like things made of pasta that were filled with all types of delicious ingredients.  I really wanted to make it at home, but I couldn’t remember what it was called.  I finally figure out it was Timpano while talking with Tin Chef Josh.  He also gave me a copy of the movie “The Big Night”.  If by the way, I suggest you watch if you haven’t seen it yet.  So I decided to try it out.  I made two, one was a smaller vegetarian version for my meat hater daughter, and the other was larger and contained meatballs, veal, hard boiled eggs, sausage, egg plant and a bunch of other delicious ingredients.  I made a spinach pasta to line the Timpano- it was going to be an epic meal.

Unfortunately, it was an epic disaster.  The vegetarian one came out great.  The big one stuck to my bowl and came out as a large glob of pasta and everything else; red sauce, white sauce, meatballs…everything in one big heaping mess.  What could I do?  So I plated it up, called it Italian Goulash and opened another bottle of wine.  The dogs ate well that night…

Until next time…

Tin Chef Chuck

Macaroni and Cheese- My ultimate comfort food

// December 15th, 2011 // No Comments » // Recipes

Tin Chef Chuck

Chuck’s Lobster and Vegetarian Mac & Cheese Recipes

Macaroni and cheese is one of my favorite comfort foods.  I will also admit- I grew up with the original Kraft macaroni and cheese and I still like it, powdered cheese and all.  It may be sacrilegious, but what I can I say.  This recipe is a little more, shall I saw “sophisiticated”- and it is delicious!  I came up with these recipes when my daughter volunteered me to cook for 50 people for her play practice a few years back- it was a big hit.  She is a vegetarian, so I have a two recipes, one vegetarian and one with seafood.  Make the cheese sauce first, then add either lobster or scallops or the vegetables with the pasta, depending on which version you want.  If using lobster, use about a 1 1/2 pounds of cooked lobster.  For scallops, use between 1 and 1 1/2 pounds, I prefer the smaller bay scallops.  For the vegetarian, I suggest a small package of frozen diced carrots and a package of small frozen pearl onions.  Of course, you can really use anything you like.

The ingredient list for the sauce is:

  • 1 lb Macaroni, Riccioli, Fusilli or similar shaped pasta
  • 1 qt of organic whole milk
  • 8 tablespoons of unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup of flour
  • 12 oz Gruyère cheese
  • 8 oz Extra sharp cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
  • 1/2 tsp fresh ground nutmeg
  • 1 1/2 cups of bread crumbs

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°

Melt butter in a medium saucepan and add flour to create a roux.  Heat the milk in another pan and add it to the roux, creating a Béchamel sauce.  Now added the shredded cheese, pepper, and nutmeg.  Once the cheese has melted, add the cooked macaroni and stir to mix the ingredients.  Add the cooked lobster, scallops or vegetables.  Pour the macaroni and cheese into a glass baking dish.

In a sauté pan, melt a little butter and add the bread crumbs.  Brown the crumbs on medium heat then sprinkle on the  macaroni and cheese.  Now bake the Mac & Cheese for 30-35 minutes in the oven at 375°.

Enjoy…

Tin Chef Chuck

My Thanksgiving Menu

// November 22nd, 2011 // No Comments » // Blog

Tin Chef Josh

 

 

 

 

This year we are having Thanksgiving at my house… A little surprised about this because I will want to deviate pretty hard from basic classic (kinda boring) dishes that most are so used to having. With that said I agreed to not go toooo crazy, so my menu is more traditional with a twist now.

Food

Pistachio and fresh herb stuffed roasted turkey wrapped in pancetta
Guinness lager pan gravy
Roasted garlic, leek and parmesan mashed potatoes
Wild mushroom cornbread stuffing muffins
Brussels sprout gratin with bacon and almonds
Homemade pickled beets, onions & eggs
Glazed whole carrots with cardamom and ginger (might make into a soup)
Cranberry, mint and vanilla custard trifle

Drinks

Riesling
Absolute
Pinot Noir
Guinness Black Lager
Grand Marnier
Baileys

I hope/wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving

 

 

 

Frita Batidos in Ann Arbor, MI

// November 8th, 2011 // No Comments » // Blog, Restaurant Reviews

Tin Chef Josh

Since Toledo does not have an Apple store the closest one to us is at Briarfield mall in Ann Arbor, MI. The negative is that it’s 40miles away. The positive is that there are some great places to eat in Ann Arbor. Since Zingerman’s Deli (the best deli I have ever been to) is in Ann Arbor there really isn’t any other place to go to… This has been the case for a while but I knew and heard of other great spots. While I was at the scotch tasting at Toledo Country Club a few weeks back, the Ann Arbor food scene was brought up and I was given some great recommendations. Frita Batidos was first on the list. Last Sunday myself,  Emily, Andy and Amy Rossi planned a trip up to the Apple store. I said we have to try this Cuban place while we are up there, Amy says she has been there a few times and loved it, and now so do I! The place is mostly white inside and small with a few bar stools and 5 picnic tables for everyone to eat at. I like the simplicity of the cafe/restaurant and the cool accessories like the vintage coke-a-cola cooler next to the register. The menu is awesome, not to big with good ingredients. The food doesn’t take a long time to come out which is really nice because it is really good. As always being my first time there we load up and try a bunch of things. We started with the ginger and fresh lime juice in a bag, loaded plantains and bubble bread, then Emily had a chorizo frita with guacamole spread and a fried egg, Andy had the pulled pork, Amy had the fish frita and I had the cuban sandwich especial. All were great. We ended with huge churros with a super gooey chocolate dipping sauce and I had for the first time a Cafe Con Leche. Soooooo good! So good that when I went back to Ann Arbor two days later I went back and tried a few other menu items. Very cool place. I will be going there many times in between my Zingerman visits. Now with these two places on my fav list how am I going to try any other places when I am there?!?! I will figure something out… Check out Frita Batidos and their menu here 

Single Malt Scotch Tasting at Toledo Country Club

// October 2nd, 2011 // No Comments » // Blog

Tin Chef Josh

I attended a scotch tasting at the club the other week with a few buddies that are also members at TCC. Now I am a big fan of tastings mainly because I get to try new things. This tasting provided this but the women that did this scotch tasting was Cheryl Alagna who has an unbelievable knowledge of what she was presenting and a real treat to meet. Her title is “Master of Whiskey” to put this in perspective there is only 15 masters in the world and she is 1 of 3 women in the world, wow! She gave about a 30-45min teaching information session before we got to taste the first scotch. We tasted 5 different single malt scotches through the spectrum from lighter with a hint of citrus to bold and very smokey. I will say that I drink blended scotches more than I drink single malts because I have limited experience with them and the ones I have tasted I haven’t liked as much as a blend. In the beginning I didn’t think there was a big difference in the progression of the single malts. But once we got to the last one and I went back to the beginning I saw a huge difference in the single malts. I do have a better understanding and appreciation for the single malt. Here is a list of what we tasted:
Oban
Chardhu
Singleton
Laguvulin
Glen Chinchie

TC Josh with Cheryl Alagna

 

Your local coffee/tea cafe…Mine… Plate 21

// June 27th, 2011 // No Comments » // Blog, Restaurant Reviews

Tin Chef Josh

I believe everyone needs to have a local coffee cafe/house that knows your name and what you like. With this said, I have noticed that people have adapted this concept but are doing it at chain coffee shops like Starbucks or Biggby and I can be accused of this also. But what I have noticed like banks and their tellers, that after a few months the girls that know you are rotated out for a new bunch and you have to go through the acclimation process all over again. I want a place that takes the quality to a higher level and be able to support a local business not a chain! That is where Plate 21 comes into my lime light. Plate 21 is a neighborhood cafe that is worth driving across town for. Thank goodness I live a mile from it. The owner and her employees are great, they will never let you walk out of their place unhappy. They have a small food menu with a few paninis, salads, a daily soup, bagels, and fresh baked muffins, cookies and a few selections of gelato. They have a very nice tea selection for anyone’s mood and their palate. The coffee and espresso is fantastic. When your there and they are talking about the humidity in the air affecting the espresso you know they care about what they are giving you!

I tend to drink coffee in the morning and tea in the afternoon. I like the traditional cappuccino, but for the last two weeks I have been trying everything. Today for example… This morning I tried a small americano and a small mocha soy latte. Yesterday I tried a iced nonfat hazelnut latte and they day before that I had a cappuccino with honey and cinnamon. I stop there in the afternoon sometimes and have a little tea, maybe open my mac and decompress for a little bit. Place is great, definitely go check it out and maybe it will be your local cafe.

Plate 21 is located at 3664 Rugby Dr., in Toledo, Ohio just off of Detroit Ave., between Copland Blvd. and Glanzman Rd. PHONE: 419.385.2121  http://www.plate21.com

 

2 New Burger Bars in Toledo with Ingredients we like to see… Finally!

// June 20th, 2011 // No Comments » // Blog, Restaurant Reviews

Tin Chef Josh

Two new burger bars have opened in Toledo: Burger Bar 419 and Bar 145.

FYI I have not read TC Chucks review on the burger bars before I write this.

I am going to start with Burger Bar 419. This place is located where the old Matthew’s and Mustard Seed used to be in the plaza off Heatherdowns next to Shawn’s and the Beer and Wine Cave.  Go see Matt at the Beer and Wine Cave… but that will be a blog post for another time. The menu for the burger bar 419 was posted online a month or two before it opened and I have to say I was so excited to see a smaller menu with great ingredients South Toledo doesn’t have! For example: bone marrow, crispy pork belly, kimchi, sriracha, taleggio cheese for some great examples and items I’m in love with! Maybe the second or third day it opened TC Chuck and I went and ordered the whole appetizer menu and burgers and milkshakes… We had a great time trying the appetizers: like crispy pork belly with kimchi, bone marrow, soy deviled eggs with sriracha and arugula (Which is my fav appetizer there). The only execution error of all the apps was the bone marrow was undercooked but they fixed it no problem. I must say an awesome appetizer list. Now lets get to the burgers… The first burger I had there was the “Must Have” but I have tried almost all of them except maybe two, I will have to look. Here is my ranking of my top 3 favorites:

1. Pate Melt – This burger is so so so damn good. It is rich and very delicious, but me being who I am (critical) I wish the pate was thicker and stayed more as a patty on the burger then pretty much melting into a sauce. I understand the play on words with the pate melt name but I don’t like it because the association with patty melts don’t really come with a good reputation.

2. Vintage Bleu – This burger is awesome. I love bleu cheese, I love pickled red onions (we make those a lot at home) Great Burger!

3. Three Little Pigs – Another over the top awesome burger. Everyone will love this burger and I wouldn’t be surprised if its the most ordered one on the menu.

These burgers are more on the rich, dark, messy in a good way side of the burger world.

Their sides are also good. Fries are good especially with bacon and crazy cheese melted all over them! The only side I thought was just ok are the onion pedals. They are good but they are what they are.

I have tried two of the milkshakes: the banana foster and the oreo mint. For $5 a shake I don’t think there are amazing, and this will be my really only not great review here. The oreo mint I got to go and it came in a really small styrofoam cup and it was good but not over the top great I would expect from a place like this. The banana foster shake I got sitting at the bar and it was pretty good but again I didn’t feel like it was amazing. I would definitely add Captain Morgans to the banana foster shake next time. But then it would be like a $10 shake probably. I saw the peanut butter they get is from Gordon Foods so I will say the shakes should be a little bigger and probably use better ingredients. Little surprising from a place that has awesome ingredients like taleggio and gruyere cheeses and get there meat from a local butcher. I am technically a milkshake snob being that that was one of the things my dad and I always made together growing up and I never stopped making shakes at home by hand with great ingredients. I haven’t had any of there salads, desserts or floats yet.

I am so happy there is a place like this in South Toledo. A small place with a small kitchen, a small menu with great food ingredients that is casual. I love that you can sit at the bar and see into the kitchen and watch everything being made. That is awesome. With that said I haven’t sat in the dinning room and have had a server so I cant really comment on the service there. This place is a mile from my house which is so fantastic. Every time I have been there at the bar, Moussa (one of the owners) has come over and said hi to make sure everything was good and stayed and chatted a bit, and has even bought us drinks. Try the Widmer dark IPA, it is awesome. I will be a regular.

Bar 145 is located out on Monroe street a little farther from my house… I hear the place is owned by the guy that owns a few places at Put-n-Bay like Mr.Eds. Before going I had a few different friends give me some not to great reviews about the place except the inside of the restaurant is cool but the service was bad and burgers are ok but not seasoned properly, over cooked from the temp they ordered and a little overpriced for what you got. Ok… wow… bummer.

So TC Chuck and I go and Chuck ended up knowing the day manager very well and who I have meet a few times. This is awesome for us because I know service will not be an issue and it wasn’t, it was great… but we were sitting with the manager. We tried all the appetizers and made our burgers from the make your own sheet instead of ordering off their menu. The appetizers aren’t as good as BB419 but very different and I am sure more appropriate for the masses instead of things like kimchi and crispy pork belly… Not they are boring but just not as crazy as BB419. Most of Toledo is a chain restaurant loving (what I call) the “chicken finger and diet coke crowd”!!  Anyway I will say there apps are good and you cant go wrong with any of them but none of them where wow this is over the top.

Now to the burgers… I created my own (Which I like this because I am crazy and dangerous when it comes to these things) I created a $12 burger which consisted the onion roll (luv!) burger at 145 degrees (the name of the place if you wondered) spicy cole slaw, pickle chips, heirloom tomatoes, gruyere and brick house cheese (Brick house is from Zingerman’s deli in Ann Arbor!!!! Best deli in the country if you didn’t know.) Arugula, fried egg, hot sauce, and garlic aioli. I think that’s it. My burger did look good when it came out. I do think the toppings are a little on the skimpy side, I got two pickle chips, a tiny bit of the spicy slaw, and for ordering two different cheeses it wasn’t over the top cheesy. The fried egg was over cooked and not runny but seasoned well and tasted good. For ordering a burger 145 degrees hence the name on the place and on the menu it says perfect or perfection. My burger was overcooked, like the reviews from the others I heard. Now this is the most important thing I think. You have to get this right with no exceptions especially since its the name of the place. Even though my burger was over done than what I ordered it still was juicy and really good. Was it a $12 burger… probably not, but it was very good despite for all my critical observations. I definitely need to go back and get a burger off their menu that is cheaper and see what’s up.

Back to Zingerman’s deli, Bar 145 gets 3 cheeses and their gelato from Zingerman’s. This is soooooooo x 10 to the 5th cool!

Now the vibe here is more of a Jed’s/Bar Louie which I’m not real fond of. I hear the bands that play at night are so loud you can hear them in the neighborhoods surrounding. I know I’m getting old when I say this… But If I can’t talk to someone next to me because its so loud then I’m not going there to eat. Not that that’s entirely a bad thing. I go there for lunch and eat and go there at night for drinks, maybe apps and listen to bands. People hear in Toledo love this kind of atmosphere and I can see this place staying in Toledo and doing well. I will probably take people from work there for lunches since its closer to my work and maybe go occasionally at night.

 

 

 

Friggin Awesome Burgers in Toledo!

// June 14th, 2011 // No Comments » // Blog, Restaurant Reviews

Tin Chef Chuck

I recently had the opportunity to try out two new burger joints in Toledo.  What is really newsworthy here is not how great they were, nor how awesome the service was or even how good the food was.  What really has excited me is that we now have two new restaurants that are pushing the culinary envelope.  Places that really have something unique to eat.  These are not another cookie cutter place that reheats generic burgers bought in bulk from a large restaurant supply house.  Rather each uses really high quality meat, makes handmade patties and then creates truly unique flavors by using really fresh ingredients.  Before I really dive into these new places, I need to mention one of my all time favorites.  Not quite as hip as Bar145, and not quite the gourmet experience you get at BurgerBar419, but if you are looking for an honest to God, greasy spoon awesome burger- you need to go to the Green Lantern on Broadway.  Don’t let the appearance fool you.  The Green Lantern has been around since the 1930’s for a reason.  It’s not heart healthy, but it is a great greasy cheeseburger place.  Stop in for breakfast and lunch.  Try a double Goopy, and tell Mo I sent you.  You go there once and I promised you will be hooked!

The first new place I want to talk about is Burger Bar 419.   Burger Bar 419 is located in South Toledo on 4400 Heatherdowns Blvd. or across from the Distillery in the old Matthews.  The first time we went there, we had almost every appetizer!  Start with the basic, good old fashioned French Fries.  The battered fried onion petals were good but nothing special, but then cam e the roasted marrow bones with sweet onion marmalade.  The first time we had this- it wasn’t perfect.  In fact it was almost raw.  But for crying out load- bone marrow in Toledo, minutes from my house.  Yes there were several errors in technique- but the concepts are there.  We were there a day or two after the place just opened.  The execution has gotten better and this really has become my favorite hangout in Toledo.  The pickled vegetables are awesome.  The chipotle pickled pineapple and goat cheese is great, I personally love the crispy pork belly with homemade kim chee!  This was another dish that was undercooked on our first go around, but the flavors and potential was there.  It was spectacular the next time we went.  Make sure you try the sriracha-soy deviled eggs with bacon and arugula.

The Burger Bar 419 has 15 or so burgers and they are all $9.00.  The offer a wide selection of home made mayonnaise and aolis, as well as several unique ketchup’s and mustard’s.  The Heater, Italian, Pate Melt, and Vintage Bleu are all awesome.  You can’t go wrong when you use all fresh ingredients and combine great flavors.  I can’t wait to try all of them.

We had the milkshakes for desert.  So far, this has been the biggest shortcoming of Burger Bar 419.  They were small, over priced and nothing memorable.  Personally, I would save your money and go to Handel’s!  Don’t let the deserts stop you from checking this place out though; I am sure it will become one of your favorite Toledo hangouts.

The other place we recently went to was Bar145° on Monroe Street.  Bar 145 is very different from Burger Bar 419.  First, it has a totally different atmosphere.  It seems more like a club than a burger place.  They have live music, a dance floor and a large bar.  There appetizers include fried pickled green beans, fries, artichoke gratin, a baked potato waffle, bourbon onion straws, mac and gouda, pretzel chips, and smoked salmon with garlic flat bread. By the way- any idea how Bar 145 got it’s name?  Overall the appetizers were pretty good, but nothing spectacular.  Most were served with generic salted/peppered flat crackers, which I think detracted from the flavor of several of the dips.  They have a few burgers on the menu, but they do a build your own menu.  What is nice here is that they use really high quality ingredients and do a pretty good job of creating your custom burger.  I may be splitting hairs, but I wish they would create a few more signature flavors by combining the awesome ingredients that they offer.  Surprise me, don’t make me think- create that special, signature burger for me!

We didn’t really try out the bourbon, but did have several of their gelato’s.  They had some nice flavors- but I am really partial to my salty caramel, so make sure you read TC Josh’s reviews as well.

In the end these are 2, no make that 3 great places.  If you are looking for breakfast during the week or on Saturday, the make sure you try the Green Lantern.  The Green Lantern is also a great place to grab lunch during the work week.  Once you meet Mo (Maurice), you will fall in love with the Lantern!  I look at Burger Bar 419 more as my local neighborhood hangout, where I can sit at the bar and talk to the chef as he cooks my next burger.  Bone marrow, pickled vegetables and cold Heineken and an awesome burger- can it get any better? To me Bar145 is that place you go to on a Friday or Saturday night, have a great burger and take in some great music.  All 3 places offer unique atmospheres- each may be more appropriate depending on your mood or day of the week.   But all 3 of these places need to be experienced.  If I hear one more person complain that there is nowhere to go, nothing to do, no where to eat in Toledo- I swear I am going to slap the #@%& out of you!  Places like these 3 restaurants would have waiting list in any other city- if they struggle, it’s your fault!  Take a walk on the wild side and try one of these places this week, in fact, try all 3 and leave a comment on which one you think is best.

 

Tin Chef Chuck

 

Homemade Marshmallows

// June 5th, 2011 // No Comments » // Blog, Recipes

Tin Chef Chuck

It’s summertime and there is nothing better than sitting around a bonfire outdoors.  Adult beverage in hand, it doesn’t really get nay better.  Well, except for roasting marshmallows over the open fire.  Why not try your hand at making your own? Homemade marshmallows are pretty easy to make, but they can be messy.  But don’t let that scare you, it’s well worth the effort.  Be creative with the flavoring and food coloring as well.

This recipe will make about  about 96 1-inch cubed marshmallows.

 

Ingrediants

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

2 tablespoons plus 2 1/2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin

1 cup cold water, divided

2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 large organic egg whites

1 tablespoon vanilla or ½ of a fresh vanilla bean**

1 tablespoon of cornstarch

 

Directions

Sprinkle a combination of corn starch and confectioners’ sugar on a 13- by 9- by 2-inch rectangular metal baking pan.  To be safe you can spray the pan with non-sticking cooking spray first.

In  a mixing bowl sprinkle gelatin over 1/2 cup cold water, and let stand to soften.

In a 3-quart heavy saucepan cook granulated sugar, corn syrup, 1/2 cup of water, and salt over low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, until sugar is dissolved.  Increase heat to moderate and boil mixture, without stirring, until a candy or digital thermometer registers 240°F, about 10-12 minutes.  Remove pan from heat and pour sugar mixture over gelatin mixture, stirring until gelatin is dissolved.

Beat the mixture on high speed until white, thick, and nearly tripled in volume, about six minutes or so.

In separate medium bowl with cleaned beaters, beat the egg whites until they just hold stiff peaks. Beat whites and vanilla (or your choice of flavoring, about 2 teaspoons) into sugar mixture until just combined. Pour mixture into the baking sheet. It’s easiest to smooth with your hands.  Sift 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar evenly over top. Chill marshmallow, uncovered, until firm, for at least three hours or overnight.

Run a thin knife around edges of pan and invert pan onto a large cutting board. Lifting up one corner of inverted pan, with fingers loosen marshmallow and ease onto cutting board. With a pizza cutter, cut the marshmallows into one inch squares.  Sift confectioners’ sugar back into the baking pan and roll the marshmallows through it, coating all of the sides, gently shake off the excess.  Enjoy!

TC Chuck

David Lebovitz: This recipe is simply amazing

// June 4th, 2011 // No Comments » // Recipes


Tin Chef Chuck

I first had salty caramel ice cream from Jeni’s Ice Cream in Columbus.  It was really pretty good.  As you may know, I have a really great ice cream machine and wanted to make my own.  I found several recipes and most of them turn out OK.  The I came across this recipe.  Sorry Jeni, but this is truly amazing.

I can’t take any credit for this.  I copied it from David Lebovitz‘s web page.  It is so friggin good that I want to share it with you.  I normally wouldn’t do this, but once you taste it, you’ll understand why.  The other reason is I keep losing my copy of the recipe.  To top it off, I can never remember the web site, so I have to Google it and look through several recipes until I come across this one.  So I am posting it were I know I can find it again.  I often use other peoples recipes, try them out, and always make changes and do things so it really become mine.  Not this time- there is nothing that can be done to improve this recipe- it’s the perfect ice cream!  David- you’re the man!

With respect to my ice cream machine, it is a Musso Pola machine from Italy.  It’s pretty expensive and can be found on Amazon.  They also make a smaller model which is probably more appropriate for the typical home cook.  I did a lot of research before I bought this baby.  It’s pretty heavy duty and could be used in a restaurant.  It will make 2 quarts every 20 minutes and it’s very quit.  Yea, it’s overkill, but it is the best money I have ever spent!

So here is David Lebovitz’s amazing ice cream…

Salted Butter Caramel Ice Cream
One generous quart (liter)

I know I’m sounding like a broken record, but be sure to use good salt. I use fleur de sel, but if you don’t have it, a mild-tasting sea salt will do in a pinch, such as Maldon, fine gray salt, or kosher salt. Don’t use ordinary fine table salt; it’s far too harsh.

Because of the caramel in this ice cream, once churned and frozen, it’ll remain nice & creamy (as shown in the photo.) To make it firmer, crank up your freezer a bit or store it in a shallow pan.

For the caramel praline (mix-in)

½ cup (100 gr) sugar
¾ teaspoon sea salt, such as fleur de sel

For the ice cream custard

2 cups (500 ml) whole milk, divided
1½ cups (300 gr) sugar
4 tablespoons (60 gr) salted butter
scant ½ teaspoon sea salt
1 cups (250 ml) heavy cream
5 large egg yolks
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract

1. To make the caramel praline, spread the ½ cup (100 gr) of sugar in an even layer in a medium-sized, unlined heavy duty saucepan: I use a 6 quart/liter pan. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or brush it sparingly with unflavored oil.

2. Heat the sugar over moderate heat until the edges begin to melt. Use a heatproof utensil to gently stir the liquefied sugar from the bottom and edges towards the center, stirring, until all the sugar is dissolved. (Or most of it—there may be some lumps, which will melt later.)

sugarcaramelizing.jpg

Continue to cook stirring infrequently until the caramel starts smoking and begins to smell like it’s just about to burn. It won’t take long.

3. Without hesitation, sprinkle in the ¾ teaspoon salt without stirring (don’t even pause to scratch your nose), then pour the caramel onto the prepared baking sheet and lift up the baking sheet immediately, tilting and swirling it almost vertically to encourage the caramel to form as thin a layer as possible. Set aside to harden and cool.

4. To make the ice cream, make an ice bath by filling a large bowl about a third full with ice cubes and adding a cup or so of water so they’re floating. Nest a smaller metal bowl (at least 2 quarts/liters) over the ice, pour 1 cup (250 ml) of the milk into the inner bowl, and rest a mesh strainer on top of it.

5. Spread 1½ cups (300 gr) sugar in the saucepan in an even layer. Cook over moderate heat, until caramelized, using the same method described in Step #2.

6. Once caramelized, remove from heat and stir in the butter and salt, until butter is melted, then gradually whisk in the cream, stirring as you go.

buttercaramel.jpg

The caramel may harden and seize, but return it to the heat and continue to stir over low heat until any hard caramel is melted. Stir in 1 cup (250 ml) of the milk.

7. Whisk the yolks in a small bowl and gradually pour some of the warm caramel mixture over the yolks, stirring constantly. Scrape the warmed yolks back into the saucepan and cook the custard using a heatproof utensil, stirring constantly (scraping the bottom as you stir) until the mixture thickens. If using an instant-read thermometer, it should read 160-170 F (71-77 C).

8. Pour the custard through the strainer into the milk set over the ice bath, add the vanilla, then stir frequently until the mixture is cooled down. Refrigerate at least 8 hours or until thoroughly chilled.

9. Freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

10. While the ice cream is churning, crumble the hardened caramel praline into very little bits, about the size of very large confetti (about ½-inch, or 1 cm). I use a mortar and pestle, although you can make your own kind of music using your hands or a rolling pin.

11. Once your caramel ice cream is churned, quickly stir in the crushed caramel, then chill in the freezer until firm.

Note: As the ice cream sits, the little bits of caramel may liquefy and get runny and gooey, which is what they’re intended to do.

Copied from David Lebovitz’s web site….

TC Chuck

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