Apple Ice Cream with Salted Caramel
In my household, for obvious reasons, we call this recipe “Toffee Apple Ice Cream”. I am a firm believer that ice cream is not just for summer and this is a great recipe for autumn. It is brilliant on a warm early autumn day and also when you want a light dessert when it gets a bit colder in late autumn or winter. The taste of this ice cream reminds me of fairgrounds (see the reference to Toffee Apples), Halloween and Bonfire Night (November 5th).
- Easy Shortbread Recipe
- Cranberry Gin
- Beetroot Soup with Coconut
- Leek and Potato Soup with Fresh Chives
- Blackberry Gin
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What you need to know about this Apple Ice Cream
- As I am keen on using seasonal, local produce, I generally make this ice cream in late August and September when it is apple season in England. However, you can make it all the year around.
- You must use eating rather than cooking apples for this ice cream. Cooking apples will break down into a mush when they are heated. This is great for apple pies and crumbles but not for a recipe where you want the individual chunks to become caramelised.
- You can choose any kind of eating apples to make this ice cream. However, as with any recipe, the taste will be better if you ingredients are really flavoursome. Choose apples that are sweet but but have a bit of sharpness such as Coxes (my favourite). or the ingredients, the better the finished
- I like to experiment with flavour combinations and so I have added a sprig of thyme to flavour the caramelised apples. If you don’t have any bay leaves to hand, or simply don’t like the idea of adding this to your ice cream, that is fine. Just leave it out. The ice cream will still taste good!
- You can use ready-made Salted Caramel in this recipe. However, I would really recommend making your own. I have an really easy Salted Caramel recipe and home-made tastes better than shop-bought. It also has lots of other uses such as being eaten in large spoonfuls directly from the jar…
- Although you can make this recipe without an ice cream maker, it is a lot easier if you have one. You can buy a basic ice cream maker fairly cheaply.
- It is best to start this recipe the day before you eat it. This will mean that once you have made the basic custard, it will have time to chill down before you put it in the ice cream maker the next day.
- You can also make this ice cream well in advance if that is more convenient. I generally make double the quantity and keep it in the freezer where it will last for up to three months.
- As with most home-made ice creams, it helps to remove the container from the freezer about ten minutes before serving as this will make it easier to scoop.
How to eat this Apple Ice Cream
This ice cream is pretty good just serves on its own. However, here are a some ideas for other ways that you can serve it.
- A few chunks of caramelised apple is a good addition. If you make double the quantity, you will have plenty to serve alongside the ice cream. Similarly, a drizzle of Salted Caramel makes it even more delicious.
- You could serve this ice cream as an accompaniment to any apple-based dessert. It is excellent served along with Apple Crumble or Apple Pie.
- A drizzle of something alcoholic is also a good way to go with any ice cream in my view. Try something with a base note of apple, such as an apple liqueur.
In praise of apples
I love apples and really enjoy trying different varieties. I like to eat them just as they are and also to use them in comforting, traditional recipes such as Apple Crumble or Apple Cake. There are 2,500 varieties of apple. However, the big supermarkets tend to sell a very narrow range of apples. Many of the traditional varieties are becoming increasingly rare as they do not match the requirements of the big supermarkets. It is really worth visiting farmers’ markets and farm shops which generally have a wider (and locally-grown) selection.
Also, it is worth checking out events that are organised for Apple Day. In the UK, Common Ground organised the first Apple Day on 21st October 1990 in London. It has been held annually ever since and over 600 regional events take place each year. If you are interested in supporting diversity in apple production, and trying some delicious apples, you should be able to find an event near you. The Orchard Network maintains a list of events on its website.
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Other home-made ice cream recipes
I am a great home-made ice cream enthusiast. I make it in the summer, of course, but am happy to eat it in winter too! There are some brilliant, shop-bought ice creams available but it is so easy to make your own. I like to experiment with flavours and some of my other ice cream recipes are listed below.
- Blackberry and Bay Ice Cream – foraged blackberries with an underlying note of warm, spicy bay
- Roasted Cherry Ice Cream – juicy fresh cherries with a bit of booze make this a rich and indulgent dessert (you can leave out the alcohol if you really want to)
- Coffee Ice Cream – quick and easy, store-cupboard recipe using instant coffee which has an amazingly rich coffee flavour
- Cranberry Ice Cream – if you have any left-over cranberry sauce, you know what to do with it
- Elderflower Ice-cream – easy recipe using elderflower cordial – delicious floral taste of summer!
- Lavender Ice-cream – another gorgeous floral ice cream (bit of a theme here at tastebotanical…) made with fresh or dried culinary lavender
- Lemon Curd Ice Cream – this tangy, three-ingredient recipe is probably the simplest ice cream recipe you will find
- Rose Ice-cream – made with culinary rosewater, this ice cream is the essence of an English summer garden
- Strawberry Balsamic Ice-cream – strawberry ice cream given a lift with a dash of balsamic vinegar to bring out the sweetness
- Thyme ice-cream with honey and mascarpone – thyme, honey and mascarpone…. in an ice cream – what’s not to like?
Recipe for Apple Ice Cream with Salted Caramel (Toffee Apple Ice Cream)
PrintApple Ice Cream with Salted Caramel
Description
This easy Apple Ice Cream has a double hit of caramel. Sweet caramelised apples and a swirl of salted caramel running through it.
Ingredients
- 2 eating apples
- 25 g (1 oz) dark brown sugar
- 25 g (1 oz) butter
- Half teaspoon of salt
- 425 ml (15 fl oz) double cream
- 4 egg yolks
- 85 g (3 oz) caster sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoons Salted Caramel
Instructions
- Peel, core and roughly chop the apples. Put them in a heavy-based frying pan with the dark brown sugar and butter. Fry over a very low heat for 30 minutes until the apple has softened and is light brown and caramelised. Remove the apple and juices from the pan. Chop the apple with a knife or pulse in a food processor until it forms a thick puree.
- Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar in a bowl until the mixture looks paler and resembles a mousse.
- Add the bay leaves to the cream and heat it to scalding point in a saucepan or in a microwave. Do not allow to boil – it will be the right temperature when you are just about able to bear to dip a finger in it.
- Pour the cream into the bowl containing the egg yolks and whisk all the time.
- Transfer the combined mixture into a bowl set over a pan of simmering water or, ideally a double-boiler, as you need to reheat it very gently.
- The mixture will gradually thicken until it looks like a custard (which is what it is). Stir regularly to make sure it does not stick while it is thickening.
- Remove the thick custard from the heat and transfer into a bowl. Stir in the vanilla extract and the apple puree.
- Allow to cool to room temperature and then transfer to the fridge to become thoroughly chilled.
- When you are ready to make the ice-cream transfer the mixture to your ice cream maker and use according to your machine’s instructions. If you do not have an ice cream maker, you can place the mixture in a freezer-proof container, put in the freezer for several hours until half-frozen. Whisk the mixture and then return to the container and replace in the freezer until totally frozen.
- Swirl the Salted Caramel through the ice cream just before it is fully frozen.
This recipe has been shared on #CookBlogShare with Cooking with my Kids and #Fiesta Friday with Fiesta Friday and Laurena @ Life Diet Health
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