Caramel Ice Cream
This is one of the two very special ice cream recipes in my files. It is extremely smooth, with a rich caramel flavor that is outstanding on its own or as a complement to an apple or pear dessert.
The key to this ice cream is cooking the caramel, along with a vanilla bean, to a deep amber, which provides the memorable flavor.
In addition to reading Ice Cream 101 prior to beginning the recipe, you should read the procedures below from start to finish. This is one recipe where you don’t want to be scrambling to find a needed tool or ingredient at the last second.
Caramel Ice Cream
| Yield: 1 qt | # of Servings: 10 |
Ingredients
2 cups (16 fl oz) heavy cream
2 cups (16 fl oz) milk
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
1 cup (7 oz / 198 g) sugar
¼ cup water
8 egg yolks
Tools and equipment needed:
- Ice cream maker
- 3-quart heavy bottomed saucepan1
- 1-quart heavy bottomed saucepan
- Large mixing bowl (for ice bath)
- Medium mixing bowl or 2-qt bain marie (for the cooked custard)
- Fine mesh strainer, heat-proof spatula, wire whisk, instant read thermometer, trivet or silicone trivet mat.
Pre-recipe preparations:
- Day before – if using ice cream maker with separate freezer bowl, place in freezer overnight.
- Set up ice bath
- Place all tools and equipment where they will be used. The heat-proof spatula and the thermometer need to ready by stove top. The ice bath, strainer, container for the cooked custard, and trivet need to ready on a counter.
Directions:
- Place heavy cream and milk in 3- quart saucepan. Bring to a simmer and leave on low heat.
- Place sugar, vanilla bean along with the inner seeds, and water in the 1-qt saucepan. Stir gently to combine, trying not go get any sugar granules on the side of the saucepan.
- Bring to a boil on a low-medium flame. Brush down the sides of the pan with wet pastry brush to dissolve any sugar crystals on the sides of the pan.
- Do not stir once the mixture has come to the boil
- While the syrup is cooking, break up the egg yolks with a whisk.
- Continue cooking the sugar over medium heat until you notice a slight caramel smell and see the edges of the syrup start to turn from clear to a light golden brown, about 6 to 7 ½ minutes. Keep a close eye on the sugar at this point.
- Once caramelization begins, lower the heat on the syrup and slightly raise the heat on the cream/milk mixture. Make sure there is a whisk readily accessible.
- Cook the syrup to an amber color, about 350 °F.
- Remove from the heat and, in three stages whisk the caramel into the cream. CAUTION: the cream will bubble up when the hot syrup hits it. This must be done quickly as the caramel in the pan will continue cooking.
- Once all the caramel is added whisk the cream to ensure that all the caramel is dissolved.
- Use tongs to remove the vanilla bean.
- Temper (warm) the egg yolks by slowly whisking in about â…“ of the cream/caramel mixture.
- Whisk the warmed egg yolk mixture into the remaining cream/caramel mixture.
- Cook over low heat, stirring the bottom constantly with a heat-proof spatula, until it coats the back of a spoon, 180 °F.
- Remove from the heat, and pour through the fine mesh strainer into the mixing bowl or bain marie.
- Whisk several times to release some heat, and place in ice bath.
- Stir the custard occasionally with a clean spatula until it cools down to 60 °F.
- Cover with plastic film and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, or overnight.
- Churn the ice cream according to the machine’s directions.
- Remove from machine bowl and freeze in plastic containers.
Notes:
1 It is very important that the sauce pan to hold the cream and milk have at least a 3 qt capacity, as the hot caramel will cause the cream to foam and bubble up.
