Salted caramel ice cream

Photographer: Kurt
Serves 4

This is another post inspired by our experience at the recent food design conference held right here in Dunedin. Three days of foodie heaven, with lectures and workshops on all things culinary, what a treat. Its Friday morning – last day of conference – heading to a workshop titled ‘Giapo Haute Ice Cream: Recipes and tricks on how to transform the cold treat into a sexy, fresh and appealing dessert’ what a way to start the last day of the week. Under the direction of the super passionate self-taught ice cream maker Gianpaolo Grazioli of Giapo ice cream, the sugar-fueled workshop was unstoppable. Ice creams frozen under clouds of liquid nitrogen, topped with all manner of goodies; gold dusted meringues, chocolate coated bacon strips, fruit gels and crunchy pralines – Yummy!

Note: Even if you don’t have access to ice cream making equipment have a go at this anyway, just get some off the shelf vanilla ice cream and combine with the toppings.

It will help to have a standard thermometer and a candy thermometer to achieve the best results for this recipe.

INGREDIENTS

Ice cream base
215g milk
13g skim milk powder
2 vanilla pods
8g glucose
17g sugar
40g cream
0.2g salt
20g egg yolk

Hazelnut brittle
100g of toasted hazelnuts (toasted, see method)
100g castor sugar
Water

Meringue
100g egg whites
100g sugar
100g glucose

Salted caramel
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup cream
2 tbsp butter
2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp vanilla extract

METHOD


1. In a heavy-based pan, heat the cream and milk to 40⁰C then add the rest of the ice cream base ingredients and combine. Then heat to 70⁰C, set aside to cool
2. For the hazelnut brittle, toast the hazelnuts in oven at 160⁰C for 15 minutes then while hot remove the skins by rubbing in a tea towel. Crush in a food processor and set aside. In a heavy-based pot, place sugar and enough water to just cover, using a candy thermometer heat the sugar to hard crack 150-155⁰C. Then quickly add the crushed nuts and mix vigorously. Roll out mixture between grease proof paper, leave to set, then breakup and put back through food processor until desired texture is achieved.
3. For the meringue, heat the sugar and glucose to 125⁰C. Whisk the egg white in a stand mixer until foamy and then slowly add the hot liquid sugar, stop whisking when mixture is glossy and forms stiff peaks. Spoon into a piping bag with a fine nozzle and set aside.
4. For the salted caramel, add all ingredients to a heavy-based pot, bring to the boil then simmer for around 10 minutes, until the sugar is completely dissolved.
5. Place the ice cream mixture into an ice cream maker, or do what we did: Place mixture in a stand mixer and pour liquid nitrogen into the bowl (stirring continuously) until the desire texture is reached.
6. Swirl the salted caramel through the ice cream, and scoop into serving cups. Pipe the meringue onto the ice cream, then using a blow torch, caramelise the peaks of the meringue. Sprinkle over the hazelnut brittle.