Salted Caramel Ice Cream

I'm not really into sweets, but when it's ice cream I have little self control. I can and will eat a pint of ice cream in one sitting. So you can imagine my delight (and my fear) when I received an ice cream maker for Christmas. I had been holding onto a special ice cream recipe as I knew the day would eventually come when I could use it: salted caramel ice cream from non other than Rori herself.

Rori's Artisanal Creamy is located in my hometown of Santa Barbara. Their ingredients are organic, local, and super fresh, sourcing their dairy from Marin county, fruit from the farmer's market, and fair-trade chocolate from San Louis Obispo. Their commitment to quality is evidence when you taste their ice cream. I was watching the Barefoot Contessa on Food Network one Saturday morning when Rori made a guest appearance and shared her recipe for her salted caramel ice cream. This stuff is perfectly sweet and salty, and deliciously creamy.

You can also use this ice cream base recipe and add in all kinds of flavors. I made a sinfully rich dark chocolate ice cream by melting 7 oz of high quality dark chocolate and blending in 3/4 cup of heavy cream. Then I added that to the ice cream base with 1 tablespoon of vanilla. Delish!

Ice Cream Base:

• 1 cup whole milk
• 4 large egg yolks
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 cups heavy cream

1. Heat the milk in a sauce pan over medium-low heat.
2. Prepare an ice bath by setting a 2 quart bowl over a larger bowl partially filled with ice water. Set a strainer over the smaller bowl and set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until pale yellow in a color and the sugar has dissolved. Gradually pour in the warmed milk into the yolk mixture, whisking constantly. Pour the mixture back into the same saucepan you used to warm the milk. Cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring constantly, until the custard thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon.
4. Strain the custard into the top bowl of the ice bath to stop the cooking process. Add the heavy cream and stir over the ice bath until cool. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill thoroughly.

Caramel Sauce:

• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons flaky sea salt, such as Maldon
• 1 tablespoon pure Tahitian vanilla extract

1. Heat the sugar in a dry heavy-bottom sauce pan over medium heat, stirring with a fork to heat the sugar evenly, until it starts to melt. Then stop stirring and swirl the pan so the sugar melts evenly, and continue cooking until it is a dark amber color. 
2. Carefully add the heavy cream (the mixture will splatter) and cook, stirring until all the caramel has dissolved. Transfer to a heat-proof bowl and stir in the sea salt. (Personal note: I use 1 1/2 teaspoons salt as I like it more salty)
3. Set the caramel mixture over a bowl filled with ice water and stir until chilled to room temperature. Combine the caramel mixture with the ice cream base and add the vanilla. 

Lastly, place the finished ice cream batter into an ice cream maker and finish using manufacturer's directions.