Wednesday 17 March 2010

Salted Butter Caramel Ice Cream

I'm not usually the type to go completely mental over ice cream. It's one of those things I can take or leave; maybe a Cornetto by the seaside is quite nice, but not essential. However, this all changed recently. I visited Browns of Brockley, a deli a short walk away from my flat and bought some apple crumble ice cream. After a cursory taste of this, I was raving about it to anyone that would listen, gazing at me with bored eyes until they tasted it themselves.

A couple of weeks later, I glimpsed this recipe. Salted butter caramel ice cream. Salted. Butter. Caramel. I bought an ice cream maker especially to try it.

The recipe is a total, utter ballache which I am sure is my fault and not of the recipe's. The caramel seized and I spent a good hour, if not more, stirring it, melting it back down. In total, it may have taken me 3 or so hours to make, but after one bite of my efforts I didn't care. It is amazing.

I replaced some of the sugar with maple sugar and salt with smoked, which gave a good dimension of flavour to it. If you haven't got any, use the recipe linked above. Be warned - melting sugar is not for the faint hearted. If it burns you, it HURTS.


Salted Butter Caramel Ice Cream

Makes 1 litre - you will eat it all

For the caramel praline:

50gr sugar
25gr maple sugar
3/4 tsp smoked salt (I used Halen Mon)

For the ice cream:

500ml milk, split in two
200gr sugar
50gr maple sugar
60gr butter
1/2 tsp smoked salt
250ml double cream, warmed
5 egg yolks
3/4 tsp vanilla extract

Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper. In a pan, melt the sugar for the praline, stirring occasionally to melt all the granules. Cook until it is mostly liquid and the caramel starts smoking a bit. As it's just about to burn, take off the heat, whack in the salt immediately and then pour the caramel on to the baking sheet. Wiggle it around a bit to try and get the thinnest sheet of caramel as possible. Set aside to harden.

Fill a big bowl to halfway with ice and a little water, and nestle a smaller bowl within. Pour 1 portion of the milk into the bowl and set a fine seive on top.

Caramelise the rest of the sugar as above. Once caramelised, remove from the heat and stir in the butter and the salt. When the butter has melted whisk in the cream. At this point, it seized into an unholy mess. If this happens to you, heat gently until it all melts back down. It takes a while. Stir in the rest of the milk and take off the heat.

Whisk the egg yolks in a bowl and gradually pour the warm cream mixture, stirring as you go. Scrape this all back into the saucepan and heat and stir to around 70 degrees C, so just before it boils. It should thicken slightly. Pour the custard through the strainer onto the iced milk and stir to combine and to cool it down. Place this in fridge and chill until the mixture is fridge cold. Churn in your ice cream maker.

Before placing in the freezer, bash up the praline roughly. Stir this through the ice cream, decant into a container and place in the freezer. These caramel bits will liquify a little.

The end result is gorgeously creamy, sweet buttery ice cream with a little hint of salt. You'd be silly not to try it.

27 comments:

Beth (jamandcream) said...

Need to get my ice cream maker out! The apple crumble one sounds fantastic as does this one

The Grubworm said...

There's just something about sea salt and caramel that works so well. I remember trying some sea salted caramel chocolates from Paul A Young. Every bit sent shivers, literally shivers, down my spine til my toes curled. If this is anything like that it'll be worth every second spent making it.

Graphic Foodie said...

Looks amazing. Really into salted caramel at the mo. Oh yes, I had a very nasty accident last year when making a caramel, so I've only recently started to make it again (with caution!).

What ice cream maker did you go for? I'm thinking of getting one.

aforkfulofspaghetti said...

I don't like being hurt by molten sugar. Could you make some for me, please? ;)

catty said...

i cannot actually describe how orgasmic this sounds. it would be totally x-rated. YUMMMMM.

Sharmila said...

I also made this recipe a few weeks back! I thought it turned out really well. Using a silicone baking mat really helped in terms of making the praline.

I love my ice cream maker - I think my next aim is to make buttermilk sorbet.

Joshua said...

Salted is caramel is one of the finest inventions known to man kind.

Looks like it was worth the effort.

gastrogeek said...

Good heavens, this looks a bit dreamy. I always seem to get it a bit wrong when making salted caramel anything, but this recipe looks pretty straightforward - gorgeous stuff

Unknown said...

Looks great lizzie and great flavour combo. Which icecream maker did you buy - I am tempted as a summer time purchase?

S said...

youre so amazing, lizzie, you spent 3 hours making that gelato? wow. it looks scrummy. x shayma

ScottCanCook said...

Maple, Caramel & Smoked Salt in Ice cream? Yum Yum Yum!

Where do you get Maple sugar in the UK?

AdLand Suit said...

That sounds AMAZING. Thank you for burning yourself on our behalf.

Hollow Legs said...

Beth - Apple crumble (or anything crumble) ice cream is next on the list.

The Grubworm - I had a similar reaction when I had Paul A Young's salted caramel. And more recently his sea salt caramel brownie. It was obscene.

Graphic Foodie - as am I. More salty caramel experiments required. I used a Phillips ice cream maker (HR2304/1) which is now sadly discontinued but I bagged myself one on ebay.

A Forkful - of course :)

Catty - X rated is a good way of describing it...

Sharmila - Isn't it great? Buttermilk sorbet sounds equally great.

Josh - it is, I am relatively new to the combination.

Gastrogeek - this is my first attempt at this combination - glad it turned out well.

GC - Phillips HR2304/1 - sadly discontinued, but there are a few on ebay.

Shayma - Aww shucks - thanks :)

Scott - It was a pretty awesome combination. Not sure where you can get maple sugar; I won a great big pile of it at a raffle.

ALS - It was. The burns were soothed by EATING ALL OF IT.

Kerri said...

This looks so, so good, I love salted caramel. I really don't have the space for anymore gadgets though :(

And what is it about caramel? I can't help but stick my finger in it, even though I know it's going to burn.

Alyssa said...

Hey Lizzie

This recipe had me thinking about ice cream all. day. Any tips on how not to get caramel to seize? I'm so impressed with how patient you were with it - I always end up getting frustrated! Also, any advice on brands/types for an ice cream maker? I'd love to get one and try it out buy I don't really know the ins and outs. I'm a bit of a beginner in the kitchen!

Thanks,

Alyssa

ginandcrumpets said...

OK, my ice cream maker is going back in the freezer. This sounds amazing.

LexEat said...

Oh yes yes yes!
I just got an ice cream maker last weekend so this is definitely on the list!!!

Helen said...

Dribble slurp dribble dribble drool dribble. I want it I want it!! Salted butter caramel. I want it.

Which model ice cream maker did you get? I find the only disappointing thing about mine is that it's a bit on the small side. I have also had nightmares with caramel. I ruined one of my mum's expensive pans with it. She still gets the pan out every time I go home and waves it at me, to remind me of my sins.

Hollow Legs said...

Kerri - I know what you mean. The ice cream maker lives in it's box on the floor. Oh, for a bigger kitchen...

Alyssa - I have a phillips one which is discontinued - it works well for me because you freeze a disc instead of a whole bowl, which my freezer wouldn't have room in. I think you can still buy them on Ebay. As for the seizing, I have no idea. Heat the cream up more maybe?

Ginandcrumpets - do try it. Awesome.

Lex - It's so good.

Helen - It's this phillips one - http://www.consumer.philips.com/c/ice-cream-maker/20-w-1-l-hr2304_70/prd/gb/ A litre is enough for me... I'd be the size of a house otherwise. I can just imagine what mess of a pan you made... I was very very close.

Douglas Blyde said...

How I wish...

Ailsa said...

Oh wow. This sounds incredible. I actually have some maple sugar which I never know what to do with, sadly no ice-cream machine though.

Anonymous said...

You're a fucking loser, you have no concept of food, and you have a weird watermelon shaped face, with creepy eyes. Loser. HA HA HA

Hollow Legs said...

Douglas - wish what?

Ailsa - You could just do a lot of whisking. Hard work, but worth it.

Anonymous - do you kiss you mother with that mouth? How kind of you to say. However, given you've commented anonymously, I'd say you're the loser here. Sorry.

The Ample Cook said...

I will defnitely be trying his - right up my street. Looks delicious. Lovely photos.

Anonymous said...

Likewise no room for the ice cream maker. It lives under the stairs covered in dust. But what better excuse to bring it back into use. Yours will be the first I've tried making for years. I'm tempting by hokey pokey too. Loving your culinary experiments this month!

dining tables said...

This is a very great idea! I would love to try this one now! So excited!

newmiyamoto said...

Just came to this from Lizzie's top 10 of 2010 and thought I'd help out anyone still looking for maple sugar.

Asda of all places stock fiddespayne maple sugar which comes in a tub like this one : http://www.fiddespayneshop.co.uk/vanilla-sugar-37-p.asp

it isn't pure maple sugar unfortunately but it is cheap(ish) and readily available.

Hope this helps someone.