Baking Mad with Eric Lanlard - Salted Butter Ice Cream

Unless you have been living under a rock recently (and lets just be clear on the fact there is no shame living under rocks - I have a very happy existence under mine most of the time!) you'll know all about the new series of Baking Mad with Eric Lanlard that started on Channel 4 at the beginning of the month.  This is the second series which is designed to appeal to bakers all kinds from the novice to the expert.  Keen bakers will be able to see Eric at home in his kitchen conjuring up quick baking recipes alongside his signature glamorous desserts.  Each 30 min episode also features three members of the public who will go to Eric's cookery school at Cake Boy, to demonstrate their baking skills and  and take part in a 'Bake Off'.

So you can imagine my excitement when Baking Mad got in touch with me a little while ago, offering to send me the chance to make one of the recipes from the series, complete with a core ingredient pack for my chosen recipe.  Soon blogland started filling up with all the wonderful recipes other bloggers had selected and each time I wished that I had picked that recipe ... until I made the ice cream!  If you like caramel, you will love this!  

It is a very rich ice cream so I would say it stretches slightly further than the 6 servings the recipe states ... and of course, I slightly altered my presentation.  Eric includes the instructions in the recipe for making spun sugar but I decided not to do that owing to the fact that my domestic kitchen isn't covered in easy clean stainless steel and I feared Hubby would be slightly annoyed with me to find bits of caramel clinging to the benches, cupboards, floors and walls.  Instead I opted to make a macadamia praline to serve along side - a step too far!  I actually fed the ice cream to Hubby and Mr JS on Wednesday night and both said it was far too sweet to go with the rich ice cream ... oopsie!  Hubby reported last night that the ice cream was much better on its own ... lesson learnt!


Salted Butter Caramel Ice Cream 
For the ice cream
500ml whole milk
250ml single cream
60g salted butter
300g golden caster sugar
5 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla extract
For the spun sugar
100g golden caster sugar
To serve
Pouring cream
Mini vanilla fudge pieces

To make the ice cream, in a saucepan heat the milk and cream. In another saucepan make the caramel by adding the caster sugar and put on to the heat until it turns into a golden caramel.

Add the salted butter and stir until smooth and glossy.

Slowly pour in the milk/cream mixture a little at a time taking care when pouring as the mixture bubbles up.

Stir and mix well until all the ingredients are well combined.

In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks and slowly pour the cream caramel mixture. Return the mix back into the pan and gently heat to thicken and form a light custard or until it coats the back of a spoon.

Once thicken, pass through a sieve into a bowl and leave to cool.

Once cool, pour the mixture into the ice cream machine bowl and churn for 45-60 minutes. Remove the ice cream and put into a suitable shallow container and put into the freezer to set firmer.

For the spun sugar, put the sugar in a pan and place on the stove to heat. Let the sugar melt gently until it turns into a dark caramel. Take off the heat and leave to cool slightly. Dip a spoon and pull the sugar into thin hair like strands and shape creatively.

To serve, scoop the ice cream into balls and serve in a dessert glass sprinkled with mini vanilla fudge, some pouring cream and garnish with the spun sugar.

Serves 6 

My unappreciated praline!