Salted Caramel Ice Cream

Salted Caramel Ice Cream
Yields 1½ quarts

We love frozen desserts after working over a hot fire—or anytime, really! If you don’t have a candy thermometer to check the heat, you can use a sanitized meat thermometer instead.

What you need:
1¼ cups sugar, divided
2½ cups heavy cream, divided
½ to 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1½ cups whole milk
9 egg yolks

What to do:
To make the caramel, heat 1 cup sugar in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat, but do not stir. As the sugar begins to caramelize and turn an amber color, cook 2 to 3 minutes, swirling the pan occasionally to ensure the sugar caramelizes evenly, and the sugar is a uniform amber color. Be careful not to burn the sugar.
Add 1¼ cups cream (the cream will bubble and pop when added), and stir 2 to 3 minutes, until the cream is thoroughly incorporated. Add the salt and vanilla extract and stir to combine. Remove from the heat and set aside until ready to use.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and the remaining sugar.
In a separate 2-quart saucepan over medium-low heat, bring the milk and the remaining cream just to a simmer, and remove from the heat. Gradually whisk the hot milk and cream into the egg mixture. Return this mixture to saucepan and cook over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes, whisking constantly, until a candy thermometer placed in the pot reads 170 degrees F.
Remove from the heat and strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer into the reserved caramel. Stir to combine, loosely cover, and refrigerate 1 hour, or until completely cooled.
Pour the cooled ice cream base into the bowl of an ice cream maker, and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and freeze until ready to serve.