This deep, dark brown gelato gets its intense flavor solely from caramelized sugar.
Burnt Sugar Gelato
The process of slowly cooking sugar to a blackened melt imbues the custard base with bittersweet burnt sugar flavor. It’s the first ice cream Jane declared perfectly made.
Ingredients
- 2 cups plus 1 1/2 tbsp. milk
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- just under 1 tbsp. cornstarch
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1 cup heavy cream or half and half
- 1 tsp Vanilla Paste (available at Trader Joe’s. Use vanilla extract if unavailable)
Directions
- Place 2 cups of milk in a saucepan and bring to a simmer over low heat. Cover and keep warm.
- Place the sugar in a nonstick saucepan with high sides over medium heat. Stir until it begins to dissolve, and then continue to cook (without stirring) until it is dark golden brown. It should be just starting to smoke. Remove from heat, and slowly whisk in warm milk. It will foam. Return to heat and continue to stir until sugar is all dissolved.
- Whisk milk, cornstarch and salt in bowl. Whisk in eggs. Slowly whisk in hot milk mixture until smooth. Return egg-milk mixture to pan and heat, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened. It is better to under-thicken then to curdle the eggs.
- Strain mixture into a bowl and cool. Mix in cream and vanilla. Place in ice cream maker and freeze.