While the weather still seems to be unseasonably cool for this time of year, I’m not about to let that get in the way of consuming as much ice cream as humanly possible this Spring/Summer.
I will be releasing my top picks for the best ice cream/gelato/frozen custard in the National Capital Region in the very near future, so please look forward to that and also pray that I don’t become lactose intolerant in the process of researching this forthcoming post.
In the meantime, I’m setting you up with a little homemade deliciousness in the form of Salted Caramel & Tahini Ice Cream. Rest assured, making homemade ice cream is not as complicated as it seems.
While the cook time on this recipe is relatively short, less than 25 minutes all in, it does require your full attention. For the caramel, make sure you are very patient and DO NOT stir it. Once you’re making the custard, follow the directions carefully to temper the egg yolks with the hot milk mixture and once fully combined in the saucepan, whisk constantly.
If you don’t keep things moving with your whisk, the custard will start to cook and little blobs that will affect the texture of the finished product. I recommend straining the whole mixture just to be sure you don’t end up with grainy ice cream.
I have this ice cream maker attachment for my KitchenAid mixer which makes things relatively simple. It took about 30 minutes to churn in the freezer bowl before achieving the desired consistency. If you’re using an attachment for your KitchenAid as well, make sure you put the freeze bowl in your freezer at least 24 hours before churning.
If you don’t have an ice cream maker, I’d strongly encourage you to try out this Strawberry Coconut Semifreddo recipe that I shared last year and doesn’t require any fancy kitchen appliances.
The flavour profile on this concoction is very nutty – thanks to all that tahini (sesame paste for the uninitiated) with ribbons of sweet, salty goodness from the caramel.
I opted to top mine with a sprinkling of black sesame seeds to add some contrast improve the visual appeal.
Whether you choose to serve it in a cup or a cone is totally up to you. I went with cups because it’s pretty hard to shoot ice cream in cones without a second set of hands/creating a sticky sweet mess on the prop table.
Salted Caramel and Tahini Ice Cream
- 1 cup sugar divided
- 2 tbsp water
- 2 cups whipping cream divided
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp vanilla paste or extract
- 3 egg yolks
- ½ cup whole milk
- ½ cup well-stirred tahini
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Heat ¾ cup sugar and the water in a large saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and let cook 10 to 12 minutes or until beginning to turn golden; swirl pan and continue to cook until deep amber.
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Add 1 cup whipping cream (mixture will sputteand stir until caramel is dissolved; remove from heat. Stir in salt and vanilla paste; let cool to room temperature.
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In a large heatproof bowl, whisk egg yolks with remaining ¼ cup sugar.
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In a clean medium pot, heat remaining 1 cup cream and the milk over medium heat until steaming; slowly whisk in half of milk mixture into egg mixture. Add egg mixture to remaining milk mixture in pot and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened (do not let mixture boil). Strain egg and milk mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a heatproof bowl. Whisk in caramel mixture, then tahini; chill for 2 to 3 hours, stirring mixture occasionally.
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Prepare in ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. Scrape into an airtight container and freeze until firm.
Recipe adapted from: St. Onge, Christopher. “Tahini & Caramel Ice Cream.” Food & Drink. Early Summer 2019.
