Salted Caramel Ice Cream
Iconic flavor that we can't get enough of!
Back in the day... well, not that long ago — about 20 years ago — salted caramel was a real surprise. You'd be asking yourself, salt in ice cream, really? And then you'd taste it and get hooked, like the rest of us.
We need to keep a few guidelines when making a caramel so this ice cream gets maximum flavor. You guessed it — the major focus is on making the caramel. The rest is similar to the various ice creams we've made in the past.
Salted Caramel Ice Cream guidelines
There are at least 4–5 ways to make a good caramel — adding butter to the sugar, using a bit of water to help break the crystallization, adding heavy cream to thicken it, etc.Personally, I don't really care how it's made, but for the ice cream I prefer the straightforward approach. Remember, we want as little water (or any kind of liquid) as possible.
I make the caramel for this ice cream with a tablespoon of water, adding the heavy cream — which I'm already using for the ice cream — into the caramel while it's cooking.
How much salt should I use?
I'll admit my worst fear when I started making this ice cream was going too salty. There's nothing worse than an overly salty ice cream — one that really overpowers all the other flavors. I can put your mind at ease: a teaspoon is a low amount, and a tablespoon of salt is probably my preferred quantity. The thing is, you can actually adjust the saltiness after the custard comes out of the refrigerator (before you churn it). I actually prefer to add 1 teaspoon of fine sea salt to the caramel while it's cooking, and another teaspoon of Atlantic sea salt to the caramel after it's refrigerated. Remember, when ingredients freeze the flavors dim a bit — so even if you think you've added too much salt, in the end it'll be just the right amount.Method
- 1
Making the custard· 5 minutes
Pour the milk into a medium saucepan and place over medium-high heat, cook until warm but not boiling, about 75°c/160°F. While the milk is heating, place the egg yolks in a bowl and whisk for 1 minute until they become lighter in color. Pour the milk into the egg yolk bowl in a steady drizzle while constantly whisking. Set the egg yolk-milk mixture aside.
- 2
making the caramel· 10 minutes
Place the water and sugar in a large saucepan over high heat. Let the sugar dissolve without stirring until it starts to change its color, at this stage you can stir it a bit to combine the liquid sugar with parts that haven’t been dissolved yet. When the caramel turns into a rich golden amber color add the heavy cream and sour cream. Reduce heat to low and pour the egg yolk mixture, cook for another 5 minutes while constantly stirring, we want higher fluids evaporation here to receive a thicker caramel. Add the vanilla extract and fine salt, and cook for another minute Turn off heat and strain the mixture. Cover and place in the fridge for 4 hours, preferably overnight.
- 3
churning the ice cream· 40 minutes
Take the caramel custard out of the fridge, taste if it needs additional salt, if so add another teaspoon of Atlantic salt. Churn according to manufacturer's instructions, store in a sealed container and insert into the freezer for at least 2 hours to stabilize.
Jaron Kimhi
Jaron Kimhi — self-taught home cook from Tel Aviv, writing and cooking every recipe on this site himself. 20+ years of tinkering in the kitchen, leaning toward slow cooking, classic technique, and honest ingredients.
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