November 5, 2014

Sous Vide Cinnamon and Salted Caramel Ice Cream

Disclosure: I received a SousVide Supreme and Vacuum Sealer for review. All opinions expressed are purely my own. I am grateful for opportunities like these, which allow me to continue to create and share delicious recipes with you. 

We’ve got a lot to discuss today, so let’s get down to business friends.

First off, yes I am brining you ice cream in November. Don’t give me that look. I KNOW you are all still eating ice cream. Because nothing says the Holidays like a big scoop of ice cream perched on top of a slice of homemade pie, cake or bread pudding. You know I’m right. And I think our made-from-scratch desserts deserve to be honored with something more than just a store-bought pint. So I bring you Cinnamon and Salted Caramel Ice Cream. It’s the perfect pairing for all your Thanksgiving and Christmas favorites. Or you know, for just eating straight from the container at midnight. No judgment.

BUT there is something else special about this ice cream. I made it in my SousVide Supreme!

OK, back up for a second. I did whaaatttt??? Let’s start from the top.

Sous vide cooking is a technique that involves cooking food in a vacuum-sealed pouch that is submerged in a water bath held at a precise temperature. It’s been used by chefs for years, but is now becoming more accessible to home cooks through convenient and easy to use water ovens like the SousVide Supreme. I’ve been wanting to try sous vide cooking for a while now (it certainly appeals to the scientist in me), so I was super excited to meet with the folks of SousVide Supreme at IFBC this year. And once I tasted the insanely tender and flavorful turkey they had made for the demo, I was hooked.

Let me just tell you about the machine itself for a hot second. As you can see in the photograph above, it’s pretty simple and sleek looking. I like that. But if you’re kitchen is like my kitchen, then I know countertop space is a precious commodity. So believe me when I say that this baby is light! Yes! I couldn’t believe it when I picked it up. You can safely store it in a cabinet without the fear of throwing out your back every time you want to get it out to use it. The user interface is super simple. All you have to really worry about is the on/off button and the temperature setting button. Boom! And as my mom pointed out to me, it’s completely silent when it’s running. Winning!

So why cook foods sous vide? Well, there are about a zillion reasons. But let’s just talk briefly about some of the reasons that are most important to me.

One is convenience. It’s the same “set it and forget it” mentality of your slow cooker, but with WAY more precision and control. Simply add the foods(s) to the pouches, seal, drop them in the water bath and walk away. Less dishes. And less time standing over the stove. Cook foods while you’re sleeping, at work or watching re-runs of Grey’s Anatomy.

The second reason, which I’ve all ready alluded to, is control. There is no ambiguity with “low”, “medium” or “high” settings. Here, you select the exact temperature that you want your food(s) to achieve. Again, the scientist in me just LOVES this part. And this precision means it’s almost impossible to overcook or undercook your food. Are you dinner guests arriving an hour later than expected (those jerks!)? No problem. Just leave the food in the water bath and it’s all good. You’re as cool as a cucumber. Martha Stewart would be jealous of how low stress you are.

And the third reason I want to share today is versatility. When I used to think of sous vide cooking, meat was pretty much what came to mind. But when I started digging into it more and uncovered all the other possibilities, I was blown away. And that’s how we get back to ice cream. I thought it would be fun to make something somewhat unexpected with my SousVide Supreme to showcase the versatility of this cooking technique.

Have you ever been cooking a custard on the stove and scrambled some of the eggs? Yeah, me too. Yuck. Well, with sous vide cooking that won’t happen. Simply blend together all the ingredients for the custard, seal them up and drop them in the water bath to cook. Then you chill and churn per usual. Easy peasy.

If you don’t have a SousVide Supreme yet (key word here is YET!), you can certainly make the ice cream base in the traditional way (heating up the ingredients on the stove and tempering in the egg yolks; this post is a good reference), but I certainly recommend asking Santa for one of these babies for Christmas. Hopefully you haven’t been too naughty this year…

Cheers,

Liz

P.S. This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission whenever you purchase a product(s) through my links. This does not change the final price of the product(s). Thank you for supporting the brands that I love and helping me keep my little kitchen afloat (see what I did there?). XOXO!

Sous Vide Cinnamon and Salted Caramel Ice Cream

Yield: Makes about 1 quart

Ingredients

• For the Ice Cream Base
• 6 egg yolks
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 5 cinnamon sticks
• Ground cinnamon for serving, if desired

• For the Caramel Sauce
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 3 tablespoons salted butter, cubed and at room temperature
• 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• Sea salt

• Special Equipment
• SousVide Supreme
• Ice Cream Maker

Instructions

1. Make the ice cream base. Fill your SousVide Supreme with water and pre-heat it to 185 degrees Fahrenheit (85 degrees Celsius).
2. In your blender or food processor, combine the egg yolks, sugars, salt, vanilla extract and whole milk until just smooth (don’t over blend). Add the heavy cream and pulse 2 or 3 times, until it’s just combined. Transfer the mixture to a large zip-closure bag along with the cinnamon sticks. Using the displacement method, remove the air from the bag and seal closed. Submerge the bag in your pre-heated SousVide Supreme. Cover and cook for 1 hour.
3. After an hour, carefully remove the bag from the SousVide Supreme. If the ice cream base looks a bit broken, gently massage the bag to recombine it. Place the bag in an ice water bath (mixture of ice and water) for about 30 minutes. Then remove the bag from the ice water bath and transfer it to your refrigerator for at least 6 hours or up to overnight. If it’s not already frozen, make sure the canister of your ice cream maker is in the freezer. To freeze completely, the canister should be in the freezer for at least 6 hours before you attempt to churn your ice cream.
4. While the ice cream base chills, make the caramel sauce. Spread the sugar in the bottom of a heavy-bottom saucepan. Pour the water over the sugar and swirl the pan gently to moisten the sugar evenly with the water. Heat over medium-high heat. Allow the mixture to cook without stirring. It will bubble quite vigorously. If it’s not cooking evenly, you can gently swirl the pan, but you want to avoid stirring if possible. After 5-8 minutes, the mixture will turn a deep caramel color. Once it gets to this stage, quickly but carefully remove it from the heat. Whisk in the cubed butter. Then gradually whisk in the heavy cream until smooth. Stir in the sea salt, starting with just a pinch and adding more as necessary to suit your taste preferences. Once the sauce has cooled slightly, transfer it to a small container and store it in the refrigerator. This recipe makes more than you’ll need for the ice cream, but you’ll certainly find other uses for it (it can be kept for 2-3 weeks in the refrigerator)!
5. Churn the ice cream. Once the ice cream base is chilled, remove and discard the cinnamon sticks. Add the ice cream base to the canister of your ice cream maker and churn until the mixture is nearly frozen and the consistency of soft serve (this should take about 20 minutes). With the machine running, add 2-3 tablespoons of the salted caramel sauce and churn for 1 minute more.
6. Transfer the ice cream to a freezer-safe container and place in your freezer. The ice cream should become firm in about 4 hours. Serve with a dusting of ground cinnamon, if desired.

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https://www.floatingkitchen.net/sous-vide-cinnamon-and-salted-caramel-ice-cream/