From Katie Button, Curate, Asheville, North Carolina
Vanilla ice cream is anything but basic for Kate Button. At Curate, her Asheville, North Carolina, restaurant, she puts a Spanish twist on the quintessential dessert by infusing it with citrus, cinnamon, and custard-y decadence. Finish it off with a drizzle of caramel to mimic the caramelized surface of freshly baked flan.
Ingredients:
1 cup heavy cream
6 cups whole milk
Peel from 2oranges (wide strips made with a vegetable peeler work best)
2 sticks of cinnamon
7 eggs
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
For the Caramel
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup water
Make Katie Button's Flan Ice Cream
Combine the first four ingredients in a heavy saucepan. Over medium heat, scald (bring just under a boil) the milk and cream with the orange peel, lemon peel, and cinnamon sticks. Remove from heat, cover, and let infuse 15 minutes. Strain.
Meanwhile whisk eggs and sugar together. Temper hot milk into the egg mixture. Return to sauce pot and, stirring constantly, heat ice cream base until slightly thickened like crème anglaise (when you run your finger on the back of a wooden spoon and it holds shape).
Strain into an ice bath, chill, and refrigerate overnight. The next day churn in ice cream maker.
In saucepan, make a dry caramel by heating granulated sugar in dry pan until melted and dark amber brown. Remove from heat and add hot water carefully. Return to heat and whisk until fully incorporated. Let cool to room temperature. Serve on scoops of ice cream.
