// 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.)
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.
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
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!
