Tuesday, September 6, 2011

salted caramel ice cream.


out of my kitchen window
the weather changes every five minutes.
it feels like fall.

this summer was so short. 
at least i put my ice cream machine to good use. 

i hope to get a recipe collection up and running by the end of the month.

this is an ice cream i've been meaning to make for quite a while.
it's my very own recipe, and even though it could have turned out like crap
it didn't.
two years ago i would not have been able to estimate as well as i can now.
there you see the worth of work experience.
i feel so blessed to be doing something i love.

caramel is tricky until you've gotten the hang of it.
sugar is tricky.
it's something you should not leave alone.
my caramel base is very simple, 
so go ahead try it out!

if you follow my recipe, 
you'll have some caramel left over.
soon i'll post some suggestions what to do with the rest.

this ice cream is inspired by the ice cream i ate at berthillon in paris
check out how pretty it looked (before i devoured it!).

my ice cream is rich, smooth and has that salty taste that contrasts so nicely with the caramel sweetness.


salted caramel ice cream

caramel base:
150g granulated sugar
150g heavy cream
3g fleur du sel
1/4 tsp vanilla extract


150g milk
25g butter
2 egg yolks
150g caramel base
100g cream
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

to make caramel base, weigh sugar into a bowl.
sprinkle a thin layer sugar into a cast iron pan (20 cm in diameter works great for me).
heat the sugar at medium heat.
do not stir until sugar begins melting. 
when liquid patches form, stir gently, dissolving sugar crystals.
sprinkle another thin layer of sugar, waiting for it to dissolve before stirring it in.
repeat until all the sugar is dissolved and continue stirring at the end until the sugar is completely liquid and an amber color.
depending how dark you cook or "burn" your sugar, the taste will vary. 
some people aim for a very light caramel, i prefer a more "burnt" taste, and a color going for a darker amber.

let cool to room temperature. 
this will at least take an hour.

when the caramel base is cooled, prepare the ice cream mixture.

heat milk and butter. 
in separate bowl, warm egg yolks slightly. 
remove them from heat.
when the milk and butter mix boils, pour into egg yolks, stirring vigorously.
weigh in caramel base, cream and vanilla. 
stir well.
chill.
then freeze in your ice cream maker according to your manufacturer's instructions.