Today I had an old fashioned Midwestern favorite with Martha’s Caramel Corn Ice Cream from page 276.
This was the most complicated ice cream I’ve made so far. First I needed to make some fresh caramel corn. I also needed to infuse the custard with fresh corn kernels and cut up cobbs to get that sweet corn flavor right into the ice cream. Finally, the most complicated step was making the caramel sauce. My first batch was too bitter. My second batch went even more wrong when the sugar hardened and simply shattered into pieces after I added the cream. The third batch was still a tiny bit bitter, but it was much better and very rich and creamy, just like a good caramel sauce should be. On Friday, I attempted to churn the ice cream but was thwarted by my freezer bowl not being frozen enough to get the job done! Sigh…finally, last night the ice cream came together just fine and I let it sit in the freezer overnight to get just the right consistency.
So was it worth all that work just for some ice cream? Yep, it sure was! I loved the delicate corn flavor of the ice cream and with the crunchy bits of sweet caramel corn and sugary peanuts. The slight bitterness of the caramel sauce actually offset the sweetness of the ice cream well, creating a lovely contrast.
Until I finally got my new ice cream maker, I hadn’t realized how many ice cream recipes are in Martha’s American Food. So far I’ve done Vanilla, Malted Milk Ball, and now Caramel Corn ice cream. There’s still a Butter Pecan and even a Butter Pecan Pie to go. That’s a lot of ice cream, but hey, somebody’s gotta do it and it might as well be me!
