Dulce de Leche Ice Cream

I cannot imagine an ice cream more satisfying than this one- the frozen combination of crème anglaise and dulce de leche is ecstasy to my fussy taste buds.
Perhaps the reason I love it so much is because it’s a combination of flavours that remind me of my childhood.
My mother used to make rich, yellow custard for me when I was a young boy and to this day it is the most reassuring food that I can think of. If I happen to be distressed, irritated, or simply worn out, a bowl of hot crème anglaise (made with more vanilla and sugar than usual) will miraculously turn me into a nicer person.
Dulce de leche has similar mood enhancing qualities (ask any Latino). Being of Argentine/ Uruguayan descent, I was brought up on the sweet milky caramel, the same way Aussie kids were raised on vegemite (yuk!). My favorite way to eat it- is (rather greedily) from a spoon. I used to get in trouble for doing that when I was a kid. Too bad, Mum.
Some palates may find the flavours in the recipe below too concentrated. I like my ice cream to be intense and pure in flavour. If you prefer your ice cream mild and milky, then double the amount of crème anglaise. I only raise this point because I have been told my ice creams and sorbets, are too much. Please yourself, that is the best part of being a home cook. One does not need to worry about pleasing the general population, like a restaurant chef has to.

Components
1 vanilla pod (optional)
3 egg yolks (free range)
3 tsp caster sugar
300ml milk
300g Dulce de leche (you can use shop bought dulce, if you like)

Process
Mix together the egg yolks, sugar and milk. You need to decide if you are using fresh vanilla- if your dulce is already perfumed with it, obviously, you won’t need it. Cut your vanilla pod lengthways through the center.
Scrape the black, sticky seeds using the point of a knife and add to anglaise mix. Add the pods too.
I make my anglaise directly over a medium/ high heat. If that makes you nervous then do it over a low flame. I honestly don’t have the patience required to stand 20 minutes over a stove, stirring constantly. I like it done quickly. Once it has thickened, pour it through a sieve into a bowl (keep the pods to infuse sugar- there will be plenty of fragrance to do so).
Mix the anglaise and dulce together. Chill it in the fridge before churning in the ice cream machine.

Freeze for a few hours and eat on the same day.
This amount makes enough ice cream to feed two people (greedily)

Caramel Ice Cream

Technically speaking, ice cream should contain egg yolk if it is to be called ice cream. Most ice creams sold at supermarkets aren’t really ice cream at all (as nice as some of them are). And nothing beats proper homemade ice cream, made with egg yolks and cream. The real deal is more dense than the commercial variety- not as fluffy. But is still creamy. I guess the texture is like that of good gelato Homemade ice cream should be consumed within 24 hrs of freezing. After that it starts to get a bit too firm and icy. In fact some top restaurants just throw out any unsold ice cream at the end of the night. So just make enough and eat it all quickly. That shouldn’t be too hard.Do not bother making ice cream unless you own an ice cream maker. I bought mine a few years ago from David Jones. It’s a little Italian machine that’s still going strong (and I have made a lot of ice cream).

Ingredients
90g caster sugar
50ml water
600ml thickened cream (35% milk fat)
150 ml milk (I use organic)
120 g caster sugar, extra
5 egg yolks (free range)

Method
Place the sugar and water into a saucepan. Dissolve the sugar over heat. Do not stir, just swish the pan around. When the sugar has dissolved, raise the heat and boil hard until you have a golden brown caramel.
Remove from the heat immediately and pour in the milk. It will bubble furiously. Then pour in the cream.
Stir this over a low heat until the caramel has dissolved completely into the milk/cream .
Add the extra sugar. In a bowl whisk the yolks until combined. About a minute by hand. Some recipes say to whisk the yolks until thick and yellow- I don’t see the point in doing this.
Pour the caramel cream over the egg yolk and mix.
Cook this over a low heat, stirring the entire time until it is thickened. Do not boil or you will scramble the yolks.
Pour this through a sieve into a clean bowl and refridgerate.
Churn in your ice cream machine and freeze.

Note- When you churn your ice cream don’t churn it to a stiff paste. A high fat ice cream like this one will taste greasy. Instead churn it so it is somewhere between a liquid and a solid (like a mushy paste.)

This amount should be enough for 2 greedy people.