Bitter Caramel Ice Cream Food

BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Put the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 40-second intervals, stirring after each, until just melted. Whisk until smooth; set aside.
• Combine the milk, sugar and egg yolks in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is thick enough to coat a spoon, about 7 minutes. Strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a blender. Add the melted chocolate and pulse until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the heavy cream and vanilla and pulse until just combined, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 3 hours or overnight.
• Transfer the chilled custard to an ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to a resealable container and freeze until firm, about 2 hours.

SALTED CARAMEL ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Heat the sugar in a dry heavy-bottomed sauce pan over medium heat, stirring with a fork to heat the sugar evenly, until it starts to melt, then stop stirring and swirl the pan so the sugar melts evenly, and continue cooking until it is a dark amber color.
• Carefully add the heavy cream (the mixture will splatter) and cook, stirring until all the caramel has dissolved. Transfer to a heat-proof bowl and stir in the sea salt. Set the caramel mixture over a bowl filled with ice water and stir until chilled to room temperature. Combine the caramel mixture with the Ice Cream Base and add the vanilla.
• Freeze in an ice cream machine according to manufacturer's directions.
• Heat the milk in a sauce pan over medium-low heat.
• Prepare an ice bath by setting a 2-quart bowl over a larger bowl partially filled with ice water.
• Set a strainer over the smaller bowl and set aside.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until pale yellow in color and the sugar has dissolved. Gradually pour the warmed milk into the yolk mixture, whisking constantly. Pour the mixture back into the same saucepan you used to warm the milk. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until the custard thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon.
• Strain the custard into the top bowl of the ice bath to stop the cooking process. Add the heavy cream and stir over the ice bath until cool. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill thoroughly, preferably overnight.

PEANUT BUTTER BEIGNETS WITH CARAMELIZED BANANAS AND BITTER CARAMEL ICE CREAM

Steps:

• For peanut butter ganache:
• Bring cream, sugar, and corn syrup to simmer in heavy medium saucepan. Add chocolate and stir until melted and smooth. Transfer mixture to medium bowl. Add peanut butter and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cover and chill until ganache is firm, about 2 hours.
• Using 1 level tablespoon ganache for each, form 1 1/4-inch balls. Place on baking sheet. Freeze ganache balls overnight.
• For beignet batter:
• Whisk flour, cocoa powder, sugar, and salt in large bowl to blend. Add club soda, then eggs and melted butter. Using electric mixer, beat until mixture is well blended and smooth.
• Pour enough oil into heavy large skillet to reach depth of 1 1/2 inches; heat to 350°F. Remove peanut butter ganache balls from freezer. Working with a few ganache balls at a time, dip into beignet batter, coating balls completely. Lift balls out with fork and slowly slide into hot oil; fry until batter is set and slightly crisp, about 1 1/2 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer beignets to paper towels to drain. Keep warm.
• Meanwhile, prepare caramelized bananas:
• Melt butter in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add brown sugar and stir until sugar begins to melt, bubble, and form thick mass, about 4 minutes. Add rum and lemon juice; simmer until mixture thickens slightly, about 3 minutes. Add bananas and cook until glazed with caramel, about 1 minute.
• Place 3 beignets on each plate. Dust with powdered sugar. Place caramelized bananas and scoop of Bitter Caramel Ice Cream alongside beignets. Sprinkle ice cream with peanut brittle and serve.

CARAMEL ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Caramel: In a small, heavy saucepan combine the sugar and the water. Be sure all sugar granules are washed down from pot sides (you can use a pastry brush dipped in water to brush down the sides). Cook over moderate heat, swirling the pan occasionally, until color is golden brown and the mixture smells like caramel. This will take about 10 to 15 minutes. When it is a deep golden color, plunge the bottom of the pot into cold water to immediately stop the cooking (otherwise the heat of the caramel will keep it cooking long after you remove it from the heat, and it could burn). Immediately and with great care, pour the hot caramel onto a large sheet of greased parchment paper on top of a baking sheet. Set aside until cool, then crack into 1/2inch pieces.
• Ice cream: Combine cream and half-and-half in a medium, heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil.
• In a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks and sugar until thick and pale yellow. Pour in the boiling liquid and stir until combined. Stir in the vanilla. Strain into a large container and refrigerate until cold, or place in a bowl nested in a larger bowl of iced water and stir occasionally until cold. Stir in the Crema. Pour into an ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturers instructions. When ice cream is done, fold in the reserved caramel pieces. Store in freezer 1 to 2 days.
• In large bowl whisk together cream and buttermilk. Cover and set in a warm place (a gas oven with just the heat from the pilot light for example) for 8 hours. Place in refrigerator. Can be kept for up to a week.

CHOCOLATE CARAMEL-CREME CANDY CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 8-inch square cake pans, line the bottoms with parchment paper. Butter the parchment and dust with flour, tapping out excess.
• Whisk the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl. Whisk the melted butter, buttermilk, egg, vanilla and 1/2 cup water together in another bowl until smooth. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, whisking until just combined. Divide the batter between the prepared cake pans, smoothing the tops. Bake, rotating the pans halfway through cooking, until a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean, about 25 minutes.
• Let the cakes cool in the pans for 15 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack set over a baking sheet. Discard the parchment paper and flip the cakes right side up again. Let the cakes cool completely.
• Make the caramel creme: Heat 1/2 cup sugar in a small nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring with a rubber spatula, until it turns dark amber in color, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and pour in the heavy cream (mixture will bubble up). When the bubbles subside, add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and the salt and stir until both dissolve in the caramel. Scrape the caramel into the bowl of a food processor and let cool completely.
• Combine the gelatin with 1 tablespoon cold water in a small bowl and let stand for 5 minutes to soften. Heat the gelatin in the microwave until it melts completely, about 10 seconds, stirring to dissolve. Add the gelatin mixture, cream cheese and sour cream to the food processor and process until smooth. Scrape the caramel creme filling into a bowl and refrigerate, checking every 5 minutes, until it is just thick enough to spread, 5 to 15 minutes. (Do not let the filling firm up too much.) Before layering the cake, give the mixture a good whisking to aerate it slightly. This will make for a lighter texture.
• Place one cake on a cake stand and pile the caramel filling in the center, spreading it in a thick layer almost to the edge. Top with the remaining cake, aligning the layers directly on top of each other so the cake does not lean. Refrigerate the assembled cake for 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, make the chocolate ganache: Bring the cream to a simmer in a small saucepan then remove from the heat. Add the chocolate, shaking the pan gently to submerge it. Allow the pan to stand, off the heat, for 3 minutes to melt the chocolate. Whisk the ganache until smooth, then refrigerate until it is just thick enough to spread (like mayonnaise), about 15 minutes. (Do not let the ganache harden too much.)
• Stir the ganache again and scoop it on top of the cake, spreading it over the top and sides. Refrigerate the cake until the ganache is set, at least 2 hours or overnight.

BOBBY FLAY'S SALTED CARAMEL SAUCE

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat, combine the sugar with 1/4 cup cold water and stir to combine. Cook, without stirring, until the sugar has turned a deep amber hue, approximately 10 to 12 minutes.
• Meanwhile, warm the cream in a small saucepan. When the caramel is ready, slowly whisk in the warm cream and continue simmering the mixture until it is smooth, another 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat, then whisk in the butter, and then the salt, to taste. Serve warm.