Caramel Popcorn Ice Cream Food

SWEET CORN ICE CREAM, SALTY POPPED CORN AND CARAMEL-CANDIED BACON

Steps:

• For the sweet corn ice cream: Heat a heavy, large saucepan over medium heat. Add the cream, milk, vanilla beans, corn cobs and kernels, and a pinch of salt. Bring to a scald, being careful not to curdle the cream. Meanwhile, whisk together the egg yolks with the sugar in a large bowl, until fully incorporated, reaching a creamy, golden consistency. Once the milk mixture comes to a boil, strain it into a large bowl. Remove the corn cobs, kernels and vanilla beans. Remove the vanilla bean seeds by scraping the beans with the back of your knife. Add the seeds to the milk mixture. Discard the corn cobs and use a ladle or a wooden spoon to push any liquids through the remaining solids, into the milk mixture. Discard the solids. Add the salt. Slowly add the milk mixture to the eggs, whisking constantly as you pour, tempering it to make sure the eggs don't scramble.
• Quickly wipe out the original saucepan and return the milk mixture to the pan. Put the pan over medium heat, stirring consistently until you reach a thickened consistency, that coats the back of a spoon, about 3 to 5 minutes. Strain the ice cream mixture into a new bowl and immediately put the bowl over an ice bath, stirring, to cool quickly. Once chilled down completely, pour it into an ice cream machine and spin according to manufacturer's instructions. Remove the ice cream to a large container and put it in the freezer to help set up the right consistency.
• For the popcorn: Heat the olive oil in a medium-size saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the popcorn kernels and cover with a lid. Cook according to the package directions until the corn is fully popped. Once popped and still hot, salt generously. Set aside.
• Use a spoon to shape a scoop of ice cream onto each serving plate. Spoon some of the candied bacon generously over the ice cream on each plate and garnish with the popcorn. Taste!
• To a medium saute pan over medium-high heat, add oil and bacon. Render the bacon until crunchy, about 7 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally to be sure it's not sticking to the pan. Once fully crisp, pour off a little excess fat. Add the brown sugar to the bacon in the pan and stir it to dissolve and caramelize. Stir in the lemon juice and cream, and stir well to combine. Adjust consistency with more cream if needed.
• Yield: 1/4 cup

POPCORN BLIZZARD POPCORN ICE CREAM WITH FLEUR DE SEL CARAMEL SAUCE

Steps:

• In a heavy cast iron pot, heat milk, cream, and 1 cup sugar in a saucepan. Cover top of cream mixture completely with prepared popcorn. When popcorn starts to melt into mixture, sprinkle some more popcorn on top. When the mixture starts to bubble, remove off of heat and set aside for 30 minutes so the popcorn infuses its flavor into the cream mixture.
• Strain popcorn mixture through cheesecloth or a mesh strainer and squeeze the mushy popcorn flavor back into the cream mixture.
• Whisk together the 1 cup sugar, vanilla bean, butter extract, and eggs in a bowl.
• Still whisking, pour the cream mixture into the egg mixture and pour this back into the cleaned-out pan. Cook until cream thickens on medium-low heat (You don't want to over cook the eggs because it will leave an egg flavor. Do not leave unattended.)
• With a silicone spatula, scrape vanilla beans off of the pot and keep stirring all the flavors together. If vanilla beans clump up just break apart on the interior of the pot. When mixture thickens, remove from heat.
• Put pot into a bowl of ice water. Let cool completely.
• Churn in an ice-cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. Take bucket and put into freezer for at least 5 hours.
• To prepare the Fleur De Sel Caramel sauce, mix butter, brown sugar, half-n-half, and salt in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook while stirring or whisking gently for 10 minutes allowing for the brown sugar to dissolve and for the mixture to thicken. Add vanilla and cook until it thickens further. Turn off heat and pour sauce into whatever you plan to serve it in. Allow cooling until the sauce is just warm. Serve over ice cream.

CARAMEL POPCORN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Generously butter heavy large baking pan. Mix warm popcorn and peanuts in prepared pan. Place in oven while preparing syrup.
• Combine brown sugar, butter and corn syrup in heavy medium saucepan. Whisk over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves and butter melts. Attach clip-on candy thermometer to side of pan. Increase heat to high and boil without stirring until thermometer registers 255 degrees F, occasionally brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla extract, salt and baking soda (mixture will bubble). Gradually pour syrup over popcorn and nuts completely.
• Bake until caramel feels dry, stirring frequently, about 1 hour 30 minutes. Remove from oven. Using metal spatula, scrape mixture from bottom of pan to loosen. Cool completely in pan. (Can be prepared 1 week ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature.)

CARAMEL CORN ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Put cream and milk into a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cut kernels from 6 raw ears corn, and chop the cobs. Add both to cream mixture with vanilla extract. Let the corn steep. Heat the mixture until hot (do not let simmer), about 2 minutes. Remove mixture from heat; cover, and let stand 30 minutes. Strain and discard solids.
• Prepare an ice-water bath; set aside. Put yolks, sugar, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on high speed until yolk mixture has tripled in volume and can hold a ribbon on surface for 2 seconds, about 3 minutes.
• Reduce speed to medium. Ladle 1 cup cream mixture in a slow stream into yolk mixture to temper it. Add another cup cream mixture; beat to combine. Transfer mixture to saucepan; cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until it is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon and an instant-read thermometer registers 180 degrees; 5 to 7 minutes.
• As custard is being frozen in an ice cream maker, fold in caramel sauce, sugar-coated peanuts, and caramel corn. Serve immediately, or freeze in an airtight plastic container until ready to serve. If frozen for more than 4 hours, let ice cream stand at room temperature 15 to 20 minutes before serving.