SALTED CARAMEL ICE CREAM

Salted Caramel Ice Cream image

This luxurious ice cream is the ideal balance of sweet yet salty and rich yet light. It's custard-based, which means you have to separate a lot of eggs (six), but the thick and silky results are worth a little bit of fuss. For something a little lighter, use more milk and less cream, as long as the dairy adds up to three cups. You can also cut down on egg yolks for a thinner base, but don't go below three. Despite the rumors, making caramel is not hard, but it can be a little tricky. If this is your first time, make sure you have enough sugar for a second batch in the event your first is a bust. Also, remove the cooking caramel from the heat just before you think you need to to prevent burning.

Provided by Melissa Clark

Categories ice creams and sorbets, dessert

Time 30m

Yield About 1 1/2 pints

Number Of Ingredients 6

Ingredients

1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
6 large egg yolks
1/4 teaspoon flaky sea salt (such as Maldon)

Steps:

In a medium pot over medium heat, melt 3/4 cup sugar with 3 tablespoons water, swirling skillet frequently, until sugar turns mahogany brown in color (it should be almost but not quite black).
Add heavy cream, milk, remaining 1/2 cup sugar and the salt; simmer mixture until caramel melts and cream mixture is completely smooth. Remove pot from heat. In a separate bowl, whisk yolks. Whisking constantly, slowly whisk about a third of the hot cream into the yolks, then whisk the yolk mixture back into the pot with the cream.
Return pot to medium-low heat and gently cook until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon (about 170 degrees on an instant-read thermometer).
Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. Cool mixture to room temperature. Cover and chill at least 4 hours or overnight.
Churn in an ice cream machine according to manufacturer's instructions. Sprinkle flaky sea salt into base during the last 2 minutes of churning. Serve directly from the machine for soft serve, or store in freezer until needed.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 257, UnsaturatedFat 6 grams, Carbohydrate 23 grams, Fat 18 grams, Protein 3 grams, SaturatedFat 10 grams, Sodium 92 milligrams, Sugar 23 grams