Burnt Caramel Ice Cream

I'm sorry I've been gone so long, and boy am I making it up to you!

I love caramel, and this recipe is a real winner. It's definitely on the top five list of best ice creams I've made (nods go to Martha Stewart's vanilla, my cardamom ginger adaptation of that same recipe, and fresh spearmint infused ice cream).

The texture of this ice cream is more dense and intensely flavored than that of other ice creams, probably because sugar comprises so much of ice cream's volume and is usually unflavored.

The recipe I used is from epicurious.com. If clicking on the link from here doesn't work, go to the site and look for "Grandpa Roy's caramel ice cream." Here's my version of the recipe (you can click on the link to compare):

1 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 pint half and half
6 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons light corn syrup

Caramelize the sugar over medium low heat until it falls from a wooden spoon in a very thin stream (rather than droplets). Alternatively, periodically drop a ball of it onto a metal pan and watch for the bead to be darker than amber.

Stir in the half and half carefully. The caramel will harden. Stir until it melts into the half and half. Temper the liquid slowly into your beaten yolks, then return to burner and cook over low heat until it reaches 170 degrees. I kept waiting for it to coat the back of a spoon, but it never did the way a normal sugar/egg custard does. Maybe the caramelization changes the chemical structure of the custard.

Strain if necessary (I didn't), then chill overnight in the fridge and churn. Sprinkle with a bit of flakey sea salt to intensify the caramel flavor!