Today was a long Monday. It was dreary and cold and… Monday. Sitting at work, all I could think about was getting back in my warm bed with my brand new pillows (they’re so fluffy and ammmazing!), eating ice cream, and watching Ghostbusters on repeat. Doesn’t that sound lovely?
Anyway, by the time I was home, I was mostly cured of my monday funk. But! I still needed ice cream. Homemade ice cream. Homemade Caramel Apple Ice Cream. Who doesn’t need Homemade Caramel Apple Ice Cream?
By the way, don’t trust anyone who tells you they don’t like ice cream–it’s just not natural.
And yeah, it’s getting chilly out, but I could eat ice cream in the middle of a blizzard. I have braved snow storms for frozen yogurt, chocolate malts, and ice cream sandwiches. But this winter I won’t have to. I have done something terrible… I have bought an ice cream maker.
Cue the scary Halloween music.
Even worse, I bought it with David Lebovitz’sThe Perfect Scoop, and it’s filled with a ton of AMAZING recipes, including all kinds of fall & winter inspired deliciousness. Really, I want to make everything. But I started with Caramel Apple Ice Cream. You were wondering what I was doing with all those apples from the family trip to the orchard, weren’t you? Well, um… here’s what I did with two of them…
Caramel Apple Ice Cream
Adapted from David Lebovitz’s Pear-Caramel Ice Cream in The Perfect Scoop
This recipe has a rich fruit flavor. The caramel adds depth, but it’s not like a traditional caramel apple. For that I think some sort of caramel sauce would need to be involved. But this recipe showcases the apples perfectly. Make sure you give the mixture a good blending to smooth any apple bits.
2 large apples, peeled and cored (I used JonaGolds)
3/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons sugar
2 cups heavy cream
1/8 teaspoon salt
A squeeze of fresh lemon juice
Chop your apples into small, 1/4” pieces and set aside.
Spread the sugar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and cook over medium heat. The sugar will start to liquify and brown. Gently stir the mixture to melt all of the sugar and heat to a deep amber. Constantly stirring at this point to keep the caramel from seizing, stir in the apple. Cook for 10 minutes. If you have any hard pieces of caramel, don’t worry, we’ll strain them out later.
Remove the caramel apple mixture from the heat and stir in the cream. Mix in the pinch of salt and squeeze in a bit of lemon.
Let the mixture cool, and then puree in a blender or food processor. Pour through a strainer to remove any pieces of caramel or apple. Chill mixture in the fridge, and then process using your ice cream machine.
Now time to watch Ghostbusters…
city tart 