Salted Caramel Ice Cream

Ingredients

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups whole milk
• 2 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp coarse sea salt

Directions

1. For the caramel, measure everything first and set it within reach. In a 3 quart saucepan with a heavy base, combine the sugar, corn syrup and water over moderately high heat, whisking the mixture until the sugar dissolves. When it begins to boil, put the whisk down and let it cook until the syrup turns dark amber, gently swirling the pan now and then. Watch closely so it does not scorch; the color should move into a deep orange shade with a little reddish brown. As soon as it reaches that point, whisk in the butter until melted, then take the pan off the heat right away. Pause for 3 seconds, then carefully add 2/3 cup of the heavy cream and whisk immediately; it will foam up aggressively, so go slowly and pay attention. Once the caramel is smooth, stir in the vanilla. Set it aside to cool a bit while you make the ice cream base.
2. For the ice cream, combine the remaining 1 1/3 cups heavy cream with 1 3/4 cup of the milk in a separate medium saucepan. Bring it just to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring from time to time. While that heats, whisk the cornstarch with the remaining 1/4 cup milk in a small bowl until smooth. When the cream mixture starts to bubble, stir in the cornstarch mixture and lower the heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring the whole time, until the base thickens well and leaves a coating on the back of a wooden spoon, about 4 – 5 minutes. Take it off the heat and stir in the caramel sauce. Pour the mixture into a heatproof container and refrigerate until fully cool, then move it to the freezer until very cold, about 1 – 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally as it chills. Churn in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions, adding the sea salt during the last 5 minutes of mixing. Spoon the ice cream back into the container, cover it, and freeze until semi-firm or firm.