burnt caramel gelato

(recipe, caleb bo baleb)

Introduction

This recipe is adapted slightly from Recipe of the Week: Ice Cream by Sally Sampson. I'm not sure what makes it gelato and not ice cream, but just call it tasty. For 'burnt caramel espresso gelato', substitute a shot of espresso for the water. Pair with beer - something malty, porter or stout. Equipment: ice cream maker

Ingredients

¾ cup white sugar
1 Tbsp. water
1 cup heavy cream
2 cups whole milk
4 large egg yolks
1 tsp. vanilla extract
¼ tsp. salt

Steps

Set a mesh strainer over a bowl.
Place the sugar and water in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir once to distribute the water, then let it sit for a few minutes. The sugar will turn to caramel and start to burn a little.
When the sugar smells "toasty", add the cream slowly, whisking or mixing with a wooden spoon or silicon spatula. If the caramel chunks up, don't worry, just keep stirring, it will turn back into liquid by the end.
Add the milk and keep stirring.
When the milk feels warm but not burning, add the vanilla extract and salt.
Whisk the egg yolks together in a bowl or heat-proof measuring cup. Slowly add some of the milk and caramel mixture, whisking all the while. Sampson recommends adding ¼ cup at a time and using some kind of dipper is a good technique. When you have added about 1 cup of the warm milk, it is probably enough and you can add the whole mixture back to the pan.
Stir constantly over medium heat until the custard begins to thicken, about 185 degrees if you're using a thermometer, or when the custard coats your implement, or when it sort of moves around all together when you stir.
Pour the custard through the mesh strainer into your bowl. Refrigerate the bowl until it is really cold. Sampson recommends 40 degrees, but I find with my Cuisinart ice cream maker, it takes a good 8 hours. I always do it overnight.
Follow instructions on your ice cream maker for stir-freezing the custard.