Salted Brown Butter Caramel Ice Cream

Three years ago, I pulled my parents’ dusty ice cream maker out of storage and started putting it to use. I began with simple recipes and was astounded to find just how easy it was to make delicious ice cream. I quickly graduated to custard-based recipes and discovered a whole new level of creamy richness. This recipe, however, still made me hesitate. Not only custard-based, but involving two separate batches of caramel pushed right to the edge of burning, it seemed far too complex to be worth it, especially when I could make very tasty ice cream without such a hassle. But it stayed in the back of my mind. In these past three years, I’ve become much more confident with making caramel, with making ice cream, and with my cooking in general, and finally it became clear I had to take on the challenge of this recipe. Never content to just follow the recipe, I decided to also brown the butter. Even with this extra step, I found this recipe came together fairly easily. And the resulting ice cream… unbelievably decadent, streaks of caramel in a rich caramel base with hints of nutty roasted flavors, and, of course, some salt to balance the sweetness. It was a triumph, one that made me seriously consider starting my own ice cream business, perhaps even exploring an Ice Cream Truck Rental to share these indulgent flavors with others on the go.

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Salted Brown Butter Caramel Ice Cream (adapted from David Lebovitz)
Yield: 1 quart

Ingredients:

• 1 cup + 1 cup whole milk
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 Tbsp butter, browned*
• 1 tsp sea salt**
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 5 egg yolks
• 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
• caramel praline mix-in (see below)

*To brown butter, melt over medium heat, then let bubble, stirring occasionally, until the milk solids separate out (they will look like little white dots on the bottom of the pan) and then brown (the whole process should take 5 – 10 minutes). Remove from heat immediately so the milk solids don’t burn.
**Ideally fleur de sel, but even kosher salt will work in a pinch.

Method:

1. Make an ice bath by filling a large bowl with ice cubes and water, then nesting a smaller (at least 2 quart) bowl over the ice. Pour 1 cup whole milk into the inner bowl, and place a mesh strainer over it.
2. Spread 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar in an even layer in a medium saucepan, then heat over medium-high heat until beginning to melt, about 2 – 3 minutes.
3. Using a heatproof utensil, stir gently towards the center until all the sugar is dissolved, about 2 more minutes.
4. Continue to cook, stirring or swirling the pan infrequently, until the caramel starts to smoke and smells like it’s about to burn, about 5 minutes.
5. Remove from heat, and stir in 4 Tbsp butter, browned and 1 tsp sea salt.
6. Gradually whisk in 1 cup heavy cream, then return to the heat, and stir over low heat until any hardened caramel has melted.
7. Stir in 1 cup whole milk.
8. In a small bowl, whisk 5 egg yolks and temper the eggs by gradually pouring some of the warm caramel mixture over the yolks, whisking constantly.
9. Scrape the warmed yolks back into the saucepan, and cook the custard over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens, about 5 – 10 minutes.
10. Pour the custard through the mesh strainer into the milk set over the ice bath. Stir in 3/4 tsp vanilla extract, then stir the custard frequently until cooled.
11. Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, at least 8 hours.
12. Churn the ice cream according to your ice cream maker’s instructions.
13. When the ice cream is done or almost done churning, add caramel praline mix-in and stir in, then chill in the freezer until firm..

Caramel Praline

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 tsp sea salt*

*Ideally fleur de sel, but even kosher salt will work in a pinch.

Method:

1. Line a baking sheet with a silpat or brush sparingly with unflavored oil.
2. Spread 1/2 cup granulated sugar in an even layer in a medium saucepan, then heat over medium-high heat until beginning to melt, about 2 – 3 minutes.
3. Using a heatproof utensil, stir gently towards the center until all the sugar is dissolved, about 2 more minutes.
4. Continue to cook, stirring or swirling the pan infrequently, until the caramel starts to smoke and smells like it’s about to burn, about 5 minutes.
5. Quickly sprinkle in 3/4 tsp sea salt, then pour the caramel onto the prepared baking sheet. Immediately lift up the sheet, tilting and swirling it almost vertically so that the caramel forms a very thin layer, then set aside to harden and cool.
6. Once completely cool, crumble the hardened caramel praline into very little bits using a mortar and pestle or rolling pin, then mix into or sprinkle on top of ice cream. The caramel will melt in the ice cream as it sits, forming delicious little pockets of caramel.