Salty Sweets (15 page)

If you love ice cream but do not have an ice cream maker, go get one. It will change your life. Making ice cream is so much fun, and—as this recipe demonstrates—so easy. My husband, Will, was a little skeptical about our need for an ice cream maker until he tasted this, one of the first ice cream recipes I came up with and tested. I gave him a little bite and he wanted more. So I dished some up and was about to top it with some Salted Milk Chocolate Sauce (
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) when he stopped me and said, "No! I don't want anything to interfere with the ice cream!" He and his friend Bob polished off the entire rich, creamy batch in about 10 minutes. Peanut butter is perhaps the quintessential flavor for a salty sweet, and the brown sugar gives this a more interesting flavor than granulated sugar.

 

MAKES ABOUT
3
CUPS

 

1. Combine the cream, milk, sugar, and peanut butter in a medium-size bowl and whisk until the sugar is dissolved and the peanut butter is well incorporated. Whisk in the salt.
   
2. Chill the mixture in the freezer for 10 minutes. Pour the mixture into the bowl of your ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer's instructions. Serve immediately, or transfer to a container and return to the freezer for a firmer ice cream.
   

By this point in the book you may have noticed my infatuation with anything almond flavored. So of course I wanted to include an almond ice cream. I played around with many versions, most of which started with an egg custard base. But I thought the flavor of the custard always interfered with the delicate almond flavor. And I don't want anything getting in the way of that! So I kept it very, very simple, and the result is fresh and delicious. Try this with fresh berries or with apple pie or apple crisp.

 

MAKES ABOUT
3½ CUPS

 

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the milk and brown sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Whisk in the cream, almond extract, and salt.
   
2. Chill the mixture in the freezer for 10 minutes. Pour the mixture into the bowl of your ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer's instructions.
   
3. About 1 minute before the ice cream maker is done, pour in the chopped almonds. Serve immediately (the ice cream will be fairly soft at this point), or transfer to a container and return to the freezer for a firmer ice cream.
   

I love the buttery, brown-sugary flavor of butterscotch sauce on just about any dessert, especially ice cream. So I thought it would be a good idea to combine those two things into one rich and delicious treat. And it turns out that it
is
a good idea. This ice cream is great on its own, with hot fudge sauce drizzled over it, or served on top of a fruit crisp.

 

MAKES ABOUT
1
QUART

 

1. To make the butterscotch, combine the brown sugar, ½ cup of the cream, the butter, and salt in a small saucepan. Stir over low heat until the sugar is completely dissolved and the butter is completely melted. Raise the heat to medium and bring the mixture to a boil without stirring at all; boil for about 3 minutes. Watch it carefully to make sure it doesn't boil over. Let the butterscotch cool in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight.
   
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, the remaining 2 cups cream, and the butterscotch until the butterscotch is dissolved. Chill the mixture in the freezer for 10 minutes. Pour the mixture into the bowl of your ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer's instructions. Serve immediately (the ice cream will be fairly soft at this point), or transfer to a container and return to the freezer for a firmer ice cream.
   

This sorbet is an ideal after-dinner dessert—it's light and refreshing, but with enough richness and flavor to feel a little decadent. Top it with toasted shredded coconut or a light sprinkling of Hawaiian pink sea salt or tropical sea salt, if you like.

 

MAKES ABOUT
1
QUART

 

1. Combine the coconut milk, shredded coconut, sugar, and salt in a medium-size saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently to dissolve the sugar completely.
   
2. Remove the mixture from the heat, let cool to room temperature, and then refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
   
3. Pour the mixture into the bowl of your ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to a container and freeze for at least 1 hour to firm up before serving.
   

In her delightful cookbook
Paris Sweets
(Broadway Books, 2002), Dorie Greenspan mentions how delicious fresh watermelon is when sprinkled with
fleur de sel.
I've tried it many times and—not surprisingly—think it's simple perfection. This sorbet is scarcely more complicated, and it's so refreshing in the summer. It's easy to make, too—but I think it's dinner-party elegant.

 

MAKES ABOUT
1
QUART

 

1. Prepare a simple syrup by simmering the water and sugar together in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Let cool.
   
2. Combine the syrup with the watermelon, lemon juice, and
   fleur de sel
   in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth, working in batches if necessary. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl, cover, and refrigerate for at least 90 minutes and up to overnight. When chilled, pour the mixture into the bowl of your ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to a container and freeze for at least 1 hour to firm up before serving.
   

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Salted Milk Chocolate Sauce

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Nana's Peanut Butter Sauce

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Snappy Butterscotch Sauce

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Caramel-Fudge Sauce

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Blackberry-Caramel Sauce

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Strawberry–Brown Sugar Sauce

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Cinnamon-Sugar Sauce

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Drunken Sauce

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Graham Cracker Crunch

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Brown Sugar Whipped Cream

Usually I prefer dark chocolate to milk chocolate, but there's something about this simple sauce that gets me every time. It's made with great-quality milk chocolate, some cream, and a hint of salt to highlight the complex notes in the chocolate. This couldn't be easier to make, and it's so great to top ice cream with a homemade sauce!

 

MAKES ABOUT
1
CUP

 

1. Combine the chopped chocolate and cream in a heavy medium-size saucepan over low heat. Heat gently until the cream starts to simmer and the chocolate reaches a melted consistency, about 4 minutes.
   
2. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk until the chocolate is completely incorporated into the cream. Whisk in the sea salt. Serve warm over ice cream (or anything else that's begging for chocolate sauce). The sauce will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week; warm it gently over low heat before serving.
   

This recipe comes from my grandmother Betty Craven, whom I called Nana Banana. She was a wonderful baker who always had a jar of fresh cookies in her kitchen and made incredible pies at Thanksgiving and confections for the holidays. I learned from her that homemade always tastes better than store-bought. That's definitely true for this warm, gooey, delicious peanut butter sauce, which is heavenly over a simple bowl of ice cream, on top of a brownie sundae (oh, my), or—in honor of Nana Banana—on a banana split. The only change I made to her version was to add a hint of sea salt to enhance the salty flavor of the peanut butter. I have a card with the recipe written in her handwriting, which makes me smile every time I see it—and miss her so much at the same time.

 

MAKES ABOUT
3
CUPS

 

1. Combine the brown sugar, corn syrup, and butter in a medium-size saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and stir until the sugar is dissolved, about 3 minutes.
   
2. Turn the heat down to low and whisk in the peanut butter. Add the cream, vanilla, and salt and simmer gently for 2 minutes. Serve warm. Or let cool and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days; warm it gently over low heat before serving.
   

Some sugar-based dessert sauces involve candy thermometers and precise timing. But this one, with a dash of salt and the aroma of vanilla, is amazing and super-easy to make (no thermometer required). The only key is watching the sauce carefully while it's boiling to make sure it doesn't boil over, because you don't want more mess to clean up—and you certainly don't want to waste any of this precious liquid. This is killer over ice cream and fresh fruit. For a truly decadent treat, pour it over chocolate cake or gingerbread.

 

MAKES
2½
CUPS