salted caramel ice-cream

I have not had time to play in my kitchen lately and tinker with my new ice-cream maker attachment. Today, I finally had a chance to recreate one of my(many) ice-cream flavor favorites, salted caramel ice-cream. It sounds like a weird combination, but for the nay sayers all I have to say is don't knock it till you try it. I used some authentic fleur de sel from the Camargue region in France to make this an even more luxurious treat.

First, I combed the internet for salted caramel ice-cream recipes and since I had pored over

David Lebovitz's Perfect Scoop, I had an idea of what to look for in a recipe. I decided on epicurious' version, from Gourmet magazine's August 2009 issue, it seemed pretty straight

forward.

Since I am an ice-cream novice and have never made caramel before, I will share photos and

attempt to offer an impromptu tutorial in hopes that my experiences demystify the process for other newbies or better yet save you a batch of ingredients. Here goes.....

I melted the sugar in a saute pan, stirring with a fork until dissolved and turned into an amber color. Cream is then added. The mixture is will froth up, just like picture don't be alarmed, just keep stirring until all the caramel is dissolved. The caramel is then cooled in a bowl to room temperature.

While the caramel is cooling, whisk the eggs in a separate bowl and bring just to a boil the remaining milk, cream, and sugar. Watch for the tiny little bubbles on the milk instead of bring it to a full boil. Take about a cup of hot milk and carefully pour it into the eggs in a steady stream while whisking. The first time I made custard for ice-cream I overzealously whipped the egg/milk mixture resulting in a mountain of foam. No need to go into a whipping frenzy, just incorporate the hot milk in to temper the eggs. Pour this mixture back into the saucepan with the milk and stir constantly until it thickens and coats the wooden spoon or 170F. DO NOT ALLOW TO BOIL!

If like me your eggs weren't tempered properly and there is some semblance of scrambled eggs in your custard, don't fret, strain the custard into a bowl. By some miracle(or more likely practice) my custard came out beautifully this time around. Pour cooled caramel into custard and let cool to room temperature. Cover and put batter in fridge for 3-6 hours. Ta-da! Home made ice-cream to rival high falutin' creameries and restaurants are now just hours away. Yummy! Pictures of final product to follow later tonight.

presents

My birthday is not actually till Sunday, but I received early bday presents from my hubby and best friend and I can't help but share them.

Ta-da!!! My very own ice-cream maker attachment for my Kitchenaid. It's my very first attachment and also the one I have been lusting for the most. It doesn't look like much but this baby is the key to my own homemade concoctions. I've had nearly 31 years experience with ice-cream and all it's many incarnations so I think I'm ready to whip up my own creation. To help me in this worthy endevour is the gift my best friend gave me, The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz.

Before the ice-cream maker was even a glint in my eye, I was already coveting this book. I'm pretty much a sucker for most ice-cream related items so a whole book devoted to the pursuit of its perfection is a fitting gift. YAY! I wuv bufdays :)

These lovely presents deserve to be worshipped and thus I dub a new holiday, Sundaes on Sunday. It will be the day we gather together in the house of dairy to genuflect upon this sacred altar of ice-creamery.

be still my beating heart

At the corner of Ceasar Chavez and Church sits an unassuming storefront with a beguiling sign of a rooster in a chef's toque, Omnivore Books on Food. The name while an apt description of the store's contents cannot capture the magic of the place. It's not only a bookstore wholly dedicated to food(a HUGE draw in itself), but it is also place that seeks to cultivate a community of food lovers. It boasts an event calendar that includes readings with food luminaries like Frank Bruni, David Leibowitz, and rumoured appearance of celebrated chef Thomas Keller. Omnivore Books does not content itself with only trading on food legends but also hosts events such as the pie contest, where one can either enter a pie or for a mere $5 sample all the goodies. Yum! If that were not enough there's the books. The store carries a great selection of new, signed and antique books. If you are book or food lover(better yet, both!), guard your wallet zealously there will be many tempting tomes to tickle and inspire your taste buds. Even with a healthy dose of restraint I walked out of there with three titles, An Edible History of Humanity by Tom Standage, The Sweet Life in Paris by David Lebovitz, and If You Can Stand the Heat by Dawn Davis. Go visit my new favorite place and tell me what you think.

Oh, did I mention that they also sold farm fresh eggs. That's a check-out impulse buy I can get behind!