Caramel Apple Ice Cream

This is extremely delicious.Creamy caramel apple flavour! If you have more apples than you need, and already made your apple tart, apple pie, apple crumbles, then for a change, do a batch of this creamy delicious ice cream!   The weather has been extremely blazing hot this past week with no rain at all. I am getting a little cranky with the weather! My kids are asking for ice cream, not that I blame them.  Wanted to make the long-awaited chocolate ice cream, but then again, not this time too. Made this instead.   

I reduced the sugar from the original 3/4 cup to 1/3 cup, it is still a little sweet for me, but for those who like their ice cream sweet, then I think 1/3 cup would be great.  I think the original 3/4 cup would be extremely sweet!  All in all, this is simply delicious. The chopped apples are cooked in the sugar caramel till soft and brown, and coated with the caramel. Be careful not to burn the caramel, but cooked it to a nice brown colour before adding the apples. This is one ice cream that I would make again, only this time with a little more less sugar, maybe 1/4 cup.

As you put a scoop of this ice cream into your mouth, you can taste the creaminess and small delightful bites of the apples.  Yummy! This is a perfect afternoon treat on a hot day or indulge yourself with this wonderful dessert right after dinner!  Yummmmmy!

I'm sharing this with :
Cookbook Sunday at Brenda's Canadian Kitchen
Potluck Sunday at Mommy's Kitchen
International Pie Collection

Caramel Apple Ice Cream

(adapted from "The Ice Cream Maker Companion" by Avner Laskin)

For the Caramel Apples

1/3 cup sugar

2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and finely chopped

For the Ice Cream

1 cup whole milk

1 cup whipping cream

1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise

3/4 cup sugar (I use 1/3 cup)

4 egg yolks 

Method :

1. In a heavy skillet, place 1/3 cup sugar and cook on medium heat, without stirrring, until caramelised and light brown.
2. Remove from the heat and stir in the chopped apples, mixing with a wooden spoon for about 2 minutes.
3. Return to the heat and cook over low heat for 15 minutes, stirring constantly with the wooden spoon, until all the apples pieces have a caramel colour.
4. Remove from the heat and set aside.
5. Separately, in a saucepan, bring the milk, cream, vanilla bean and half the sugar to the scalding point over medium heat.
6. In a bowl, beat the egg yolks and the remaining sugar with a wire whisk until smooth and uniform.
7. When the mixture in the saucepan begins to foam, reduce the heat and quickly stir in the yolk mixture.  Remove the vanilla bean and scrape the seeds back into the saucepan.
8. Using a wooden spoon, stir the custard constantly and cook over low heat until it reaches 175F.
9. Remove immediately from the heat and continue stirring, so that the custard does not overcook.
10. Pour the custard into a clean bowl through a fine mesh strainer, so that the liquid is smooth and lump-free.
11. While the custard is warm, add the caramel apples and mix well.  It is important to do this while the custard is warm so that the flavour is fully absorbed.
12. Cover the custard with plastic wrap and let cool slightly, then place in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, until very cold.
13. Transfer the cold custard to the bowl of your ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer's instructions.