We All Scream for Ice Cream: Crème Brûlée Custard
This is the exact opposite of what I figured I'd post the week after Thanksgiving, much less the coldest Monday November has probably ever seen. I figured it'd be something to do with leftovers or a light meal to make up for Turkey Day indulgences. I'll put all my cards on the table, though. After a week of entertaining, Thanksgiving cooking and working on top of it all, I had very little time to be getting together new posts.
So today's post is a pinch hitter, something I started awhile back and never got around to finishing (you know it's bad when I start making sports references. I think that's a sports reference...isn't it?). Plus, when it's this cold, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. And by that I mean, eff that shhhh by eating ice cream on this frigidly cold day. Show winter who's boss.
Anyway, some friends were visiting from out of town the other weekend and I was planning to make a nice big Sunday dinner. It had been awhile since I'd used my ice cream maker, sadly, and I decided that Sunday was the night to brush off the dust and get churnin' again. I also had a Chinook Book coupon for a free 1/2 gallon of milk from Whole Foods burning a hole in my pocket. I asked my friends if they had any flavor requests, seeing as I was lacking a clear direction for my meal. One of them asked for crème brûlée after joking that I, of course, would be making ice cream from scratch. Well, duh. Clearly, a challenge had been extended, though, and in the words of Barney Stinson...challenge accepted.
The key feature that makes crème brûlée so fantabulous is that oh-so-sweet burnt sugar top. Not having a cooking torch (or any torch, for that matter), I was at a loss as to how I would produce such a flavor and texture. I stumbled upon this recipe from icecreamnation.org (yes, there's an org for a nation of ice cream!) and adapted it slightly. The results turned out legen...wait for it...dairy.
Crème Brûlée Custard
Serves: 6 small bowls (1 on a lonely night)
Preparation Time: 15-20 minutes to prep base, 6+ hours to chill, 25 minutes churning, 2+ hours freezing—plan ahead!
Special Equipment: Ice cream maker
Ingredients:
2 c. whole milk
1 c. 1/2 & 1/2 or heavy cream
1 fresh vanilla bean pod (you can find these at co-ops or Whole Foods in the bulk section)
5 egg yolks
3/4 c. brown sugar
3/4 c. white sugar
Method:
1. Pour milk and cream into a medium sauce pot. Cut vanilla bean in half length-wise and scrap out the tiny seeds into the milk. Place pod in the milk, as well. Stir and bring to just barely a simmer. Do not let boil or scald.
2. Mix the two sugars together and then divide again into 3/4 cup portions. Pour one of the 3/4 cups of the sugar mix into a mixing bowl and add the five egg yolks. Using an electric mixer, or a whisk and some elbow grease, mix the eggs and sugar until the sugar has dissolved into the egg yolks and the mixture is yellow and almost fluffy. Reserve the other 3/4 cup portion of sugar for a little bit later.
3. Once the milk is hot, add about 1/2 cup at a time to the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Continue to add a little bit of hot milk while whisking until about half of the milk has been added to the eggs and the egg mixture is slightly warm. It is very important to do this slowly so as to temper, not scramble, the eggs! Believe me, I've made this nasty mistake.
4. Once the eggs are tempered, add the egg and milk mixture into the sauce pan with the rest of the milk and stir well. Continue whisking the mixture over low heat until it is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon without dripping down. Once the mixture has reached this point, remove from heat and pour into a bowl. Let sit for a few minutes to cool and then place in the refrigerator overnight to chill (or at least 6-8 hours). Make sure your ice cream churning bowl is also in the freezer!
5. This next step can be done at any point prior to churning your ice cream. Place parchment, wax paper or aluminum foil on a large baking sheet. Set aside. Pour the reserved 3/4 cup of sugar mixture into a small sauce pan. Turn heat to medium-high and allow sugar to melt, stirring occasionally. Once the sugar has caramelized and turned into a brown liquid, remove from heat and immediately pour onto baking sheet, either in one large disk, or in many small disks to use as garnishes. I made about nine smaller disk, used 6 as garnishes and 3 to crush up and churn into the ice cream. Let sit until completely cool.
6. Pour chilled ice cream base into your ice cream churning bowl, making sure to remove the vanilla bean pod. Churn for about 25 minutes total. Don't get too comfy just yet, though, you've still got tasks.
7. While the ice cream is churning, crush up your sugar disks using a rolling pin. Make sure the chunks are small enough to ensure a nice even crunch of candied sugar throughout the ice cream. There will be some sugar powder, too, as a result of this, but that makes for a nice garnish on top and turns into a caramelly swirl upon freezing.
8. In the last 5 minutes of churning add in crushed up sugar chunks in batches and continue to churn until well mixed. Scoop out the ice cream from your ice cream maker and place in a container for freezing. If there is any sugar powder, sprinkle it on top. Now, this part is important: Take a large piece of plastic wrap and place it directly on the surface of the ice cream before putting it into the freezer. This will avoid icy chunks from forming on the top of your ice cream and leave you with a creamy and sweet treat. Allow to freeeze for at least 2 hours. Garnish each bowl with sugar disk and don't forget to brush your teeth before bed.
