Caramel Macadamia Nut Ice Cream

Mmm…this ice cream ranks right up there with the Lemon Meringue ice cream I made a while back (which won me a contest, woohoo). It is smooth, creamy, but full of wonderful flavour. The caramel is a little difficult to work with, but once it is in the ice cream, it creates a beautiful ribbon of sweet, sticky dark caramel throughout the ice cream. Absolutely delicious. The Macadamia nuts, once toasted, give have a really great flavour as well. I have not done much baking or cooking with Macadamia nuts, but I do hope to change that in the future, these nuts have a wonderful flavour to them. What are you waiting for, go get yourself a spoon, I’ve got a bowl ready for you!

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Ingredients:

Caramel Sauce:
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup butter, cut into small pieces (1/2 stick)
1/2 cup half-and-half (or light cream)
1/4 tsp salt

Vanilla ice cream base:
4 egg yolks
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 1/2 cups half-and-half (light cream)
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup chopped salted macadamia nuts

Directions:

To make caramel sauce:

Pour sugar into small, heavy-bottomed pan. Place over medium heat and let sugar melt to make a dark brown liquid. Stir in butter adn half-and-half (mixture will sputter, so be careful). Stir over medium heat until mixture comes together as a sauce. Stir in salt. Remove from heat.

To make vanilla ice cream base:

In a heat-proof bowl, beat together egg yolks and salt. Set aside. In a heavy-bottomed sauce pan, combine sugar and half-and-half. Bring to a simmer. Pour about 1/2 cup of the mixture into egg mixture and beat. Return mixture to pan, and cook slowly over low heat until thickened to sauce consistency and it coats the back of a spoon. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla. Strain into bowl. Cover and refrigerate until cold.

If Caramel Sauce is too thick to pour, microwave on low for 30 seconds.

Make ice cream according to manufacturer’s directions. While ice cream is soft but almost firm, drizzle in caramel sauce and nuts. Continue to churn ice cream just to mix ingredients. Remove from machine and freeze immediately for 2 hours before serving.

Source: Razzle Dazzle Recipes

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