Salted Butter Caramel Ice Cream

A while back I tried a recipe for Salted Carmel Cupcakes. It was a flop. A huge flop. It just sounded so good, but was so disappointing in the end. Lately I've been seeing a lot of recipes with salted caramel. Truffles, brownies, cupcakes. Then I fell upon David Lebovitz website. He has a recipe for Salted Butter Carmel Ice Cream. It intrigued me. I had a gallon of heavy cream so I decided I might as well venture out and make it.

Making caramel use to really intimidate me. That was until I realized it's not all that hard, and the more you make it the more you really know when it's done. Practice makes perfect right?! Anyway, you have to make caramel twice for this ice cream. Once for the base, and the other to make a little praline that is stirred in at the end. If you don't know how to make caramel, or want to become better, David has a great post How to Make the Perfect Caramel explaining the steps. Much better than I could ever explain.

Most ice creams I've tried, with caramel, have very little caramel flavor, and it's more sweet I think. This is not the case. Still sweet, but has a very strong caramel flavor. The whole thing is caramel. Don't know why I didn't think of that when making it. I thought the pralines would add a little crunch factor, but they melt instead. I'm glad I decided to try another salted caramel recipe. This one produced a much better and exciting outcome!

Salted Butter Caramel Ice Cream

For the caramel praline (mix-in):

½ cup sugar
¾ teaspoon sea salt

For the ice cream custard:

2 cups whole milk, divided
1½ cups sugar
4 tablespoons salted butter
scant ½ teaspoon sea salt
1 cups heavy cream
5 large egg yolks
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract

1. 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.

Bananas

This past week I must have been craving bananas because everything I made consisted of the delicious fruit. The recipes I found just sounded so good. My first recipe to try out was a Banana Cream Pie from Our Best Bites.

This was suppose to be an easy and quick dessert, which is what really appealed to me. You're suppose to use a store bought pie crust, jello pudding, whip cream, and sweetened condensed milk. Well, when I got to the store they didn't have any of the Oreo crusts. I could have gone for just the regular graham cracker crust, but I really wanted the chunky monkey version. So I decided I could just make my own. Just an FYI, I wouldn't buy the store brand Oreos. Not nearly as good as the actual Oreo brand. I was trying to save money cause I didn't have a lot of extra cash on me, but really saving a dollar and losing on the quality was not worth it in the end. I also ended up just using cool whip, rather than whipping cream (i was trying to make this just a little healthier). The end product wasn't horrible, but it wasn't the best. I don't think the cool whip caused a problem cause the filling was pretty good. The main issue was pretty much the crust. It just gave an awful flavor. I'd try this again, but just make sure that I got an actual Oreo crust.

My next recipe is from Annie's Eats. She posted about Banana Bread Waffles the other and I knew I wanted to try them. One reason the bananas, the other is because it called for yeast. I've never made waffles with yeast. You start by making the recipe the night before and then finish it the next morning. That part was nice because it meant less work for the next morning, but it also meant I had to remember to start it the night before. They were pretty delicious. I thought with the yeast they'd be a little puffier, but they weren't. They turned out like all my other waffles. These are definitely a repeat recipe. Although next time I wouldn't mind chopping up some walnuts and adding them in:)

This last recipe was the one I was looking forward to the most. Banana Pudding Ice Cream from Home Sick Texan. I don't know, when I first read it, it just sounded perfect. Don't ask me why, for some reason I've been having a hankering for bananas. I love ice cream and then to make it a banana pudding ice cream. Mmmm.. delightful.

Anyway, it didn't quite turn out the way I imagined. It was pretty simple to make. I thought you would keep the sliced bananas in them, but after making the custard you let it sit for 45 minutes with the bananas, then remove the bananas, and let it chill for at least 4 hours. When I first took the bananas out I tasted the custard, but there was really no banana flavor, so I thought maybe it'll come out after chilling. Right... Nope. I knew it wouldn't, but I'm pretty sure I hoped it would. After freezing it, in my mixer, there was a very faint taste of banana. More of a little aftertaste. I was pretty bummed. Last night I sliced up bananas and served them with the ice cream and it tasted pretty darn good. Looking back at everything I did, my only conclusion is that my bananas weren't ripe enough so it didn't create enough flavor. I really want to make this again and see if that was my problem. If that wasn't the problem, then I'll throw it out, but as for now it's still a keeper.

Apple Pie and Cinnamon Ice Cream

For my first recipe on here I decided to make an Apple Pie. I wanted to just do something basic. I figured when you're trying to get back into the habit of something you go back to the basics and work your way up. I went ahead and also made some cinnamon ice cream. I've been wanting to make cinnamon ice cream for forever so I thought this would be the perfect time.

The apple pie I made was from Martha Stewart. It was made with lime juice, something I've never done before. It added a nice little flavor. Everything else were your basic ingredients. Apples, flour, sugar, butter, cinnamon. I learned that I need to practice my pie dough skills. The dough turned out fine, it was just the rolling out and then forming it all together. But practice makes perfect, so I'm guess I'll be making more pies in the future!

Cinnamon Ice Cream is FABULOUS!!! I love cinnamon. LOVE IT. I added just a little more cinnamon then the recipe called for and I'm glad. I don't think it was too overpowering. Just right. Mmm...so good. I could probably eat the whole batch, but luckily we have neighbors who helped us eat both the pie and ice cream.

I had so much fun making this pie. It's funny when you've stopped doing something for awhile, and then when you restart, things just start coming back. While I was tossing the apples, with everything, I kept remembering things my chef told me to do and different terms. I started laughing cause I really didn't think I'd start remembering things like that. Today was a refreshing start. I seriously love baking. There's just a neat aspect of taking all these different ingredients and creating something so delicious with it!

Apple Pie:

Crust:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1/3 cup plus 2 teaspoons ice water

Filling:

• 3 1/2 pounds (about 8 medium) heirloom apples, such as Arkansas Black, Caville Blanc, Carpentin, Jonathan, Knobbed Russet or Northern Spy.*
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling out dough
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
• 1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
• 1 large egg yolk
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons sanding sugar

Crust:

Pulse flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor until combined. Add butter, and process until mixture resembles coarse meal, about 10 seconds. With the machine running, add ice water in a slow, steady stream until the mixture just begins to hold together.

Shape dough into two disks, and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for 1 hour or up to two days.

Pie:

On a lightly floured surface, roll 1 disk of dough to 1/8 inch thickness. Fit into a 9-inch pie plate. Trim edges, leaving a 1-inch overhang. Freeze until firm, about 15 minutes. Roll remaining disk of dough into a 12-inch circle, about 1/8 inch thick. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet, and freeze until cold and firm, about 15 minutes.

Peel and core apples, then cut them into 1/2 to 1-inch chunks and place them in a medium bowl. Add flour, sugar, lemon juice, salt, cinnamon, and vanilla seeds, and toss.

Place apple mixture in prepared pie dish, and dot with butter. Center dough round over apples, and tuck overhang under edge of bottom dough. Using your fingers, gently pinch dough along edge to seal. Using a paring knife, cut eight 2 1/2-inch vents in dough to let steam escape. Freeze pie until firm, about two hours.

Preheat oven to 425° F. Mix yolk and heavy cream in a small bowl, and brush over dough. Sprinkle with sanding sugar. Place dish on rimmed baking sheet, and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 375° F, and bake until crust is golden brown and juices are bubbling, 50-60 minutes. Transfer pie to a wire wrack to cool completely.

Cinnamon Ice Cream:

• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 1/2 cups half-and-half cream
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

In a saucepan over medium-low heat, stir together the sugar and half-and-half. When the mixture begins to simmer, remove from heat, and whisk half of the mixture into the eggs. Whisk quickly so that the eggs do not scramble. Pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan, and stir in the heavy cream. Continue cooking over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon. Remove from heat, and whisk in vanilla and cinnamon. Set aside to cool.

Pour cooled mixture into an ice cream maker, and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions.

(Sorry no pictures of the ice cream. Pictures didn't turn out too great!)