POPCORN & BROWN BUTTER ICE CREAM

As the cold weather settles in for the year, I find myself clinging to the radiator where I’m nice and toasty.

During this time of year when we spend most of our time indoors, we have to keep ourselves entertained. That means movies, books, and game nights by the fire. There is a lot of food and a lot of family time right about now.

This popcorn & brown butter ice cream is great for when no one can agree on either savory or sweet snacks.

Enjoy!!

Ingredients:

(Makes about a half quart)

For your Brown Butter:

4 tablespoons of good butter ( 60 grams ) (will reduce to about 40 grams of brown butter)

For your Popcorn:

4 tablespoons popcorn kernels

1-2 tablespoons of vegetable oil (preferably any oil without flavor e.g. groundnut oil) or butter

For your Custard:

1 1/3 cup milk ( 320 ml )

1 1/3 cup heavy cream ( 320 ml )

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons brown butter ( see above )

6 tablespoons light brown sugar ( 70 grams )

4 egg yolks

4 cups of popped popcorn (see above)

Tools:

Medium pot with a lid (to pop the popcorn)

Small sauce pan / pot

Heavy Bottom Pot or Double boiler (Don’t have a Double Boiler? Don’t worry, just place a medium bowl over the top of a pot with a an inch or two of water simmering in the bottom.)

Whisk

Sieve

Wooden spoon* 

Thermometer*

*Ideal, not essential

Instructions:

For the Popcorn:

1. Add your oil (or butter) and three popcorn kernels into a medium pot. Place on the stove and set the temperature to high. Put the lid on and wait for the three kernels to pop, shaking the pot every now and then to prevent burning. Once the kernels have popped, remove them and add the rest of the kernels. Place the lid back on and remove the pot from heat for 30 seconds. After 30 seconds, place the pot back on the high heat. Shake often to prevent burning. Once the sound of popping slows to every ten seconds, remove the pot from the heat and remove the lid. Set the popcorn aside for later.

For the Brown Butter:

(Best if made immediately before you make your custard)

1. Gently heat the butter in a small sauce pot over low to medium heat, stirring constantly. After a few minutes (usually five for me) the butter will begin to form light brown specks. Once the butter has turned a light hazelnut color and gives off a nutty aroma, remove the pan from heat and set aside. It is very easy to burn the butter, so keep a close eye on its progress while it’s cooking.

For the Ice Cream Base:

2. Set your heavy-bottom pan or double boiler over medium high heat. Add the heavy cream, milk, brown butter and salt. Stir until the salt is melted and the dairy mix begins to steam. 

3. Whisk the egg yolks and light brown sugar together in a medium bowl.  Once it is uniform, add a  tablespoon of the steaming dairy mixture while still whisking. Repeat until you have added 3 - 4 tablespoons of the dairy mixture to the yolky sugar mix. Then add this yolk mixture back into the rest of the dairy mixture and return it to medium-low heat, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon. (Try to keep the heat at medium-low - under 80 degrees Celsius). The custard will be done cooking once the mixture is thick enough to glaze the back of the spoon. Run your finger across the back of the spoon. If the custard remains separated, it is done cooking.

4. Remove from heat and stir in your popped popcorn until they are all soaking in the custard. (We suggest four cups for this quantity, but you can add or subtract however much popcorn you like according to your taste. More popcorn will result in a stronger popcorn flavor.)

5. Cover with a clean dishtowel and let cool.

6. Refrigerate in an airtight container overnight.

To finish the ice cream:

7. Strain the chilled custard into a medium bowl to remove all of the popcorn. Press as much “juice” out of the popcorn as you can. This will add a stronger flavor to your ice cream. Some popcorn “pulp” will squeeze through the sieve. Scrape that mush off of the bottom of the sieve and add it to the custard. It will give the ice cream a stronger popcorn flavor and a better texture.

8. When you are ready to churn, follow the instructions of your ice cream maker. Pour your custard into your machine and let it churn until it has the texture you desire.

9. Once finished, store the ice cream in a pre-chilled, air-tight container and freeze! 

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This Popcorn & Brownbutter ice cream will keep for about one week.

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Notes :

+ Do Not Use Popcorn from those Microwave bags! Most stores carry normal, loose popcorn kernels in the snack aisle.

+ The dry popcorn you steep in your custard will give it a great flavor, but it also soaks up a lot of liquid. Plan to make more custard than you normally do to make up for the custard the popcorn absorbs.

+ Since wet popcorn can get pretty mushy, and you probably want to get all the juice out that you can, I suggest using a very strong sieve to press out the juices. I used my normal fine mesh sieve, but I was worried the whole time that the pressure I was putting on it would break it!

+ Popcorn Ice cream is fun, but it can be difficult to get right. Don’t expect to nail it on your first try. It takes some practice.

+ To garnish the top of this ice cream, I suggest caramel popcorn rather than plain popcorn. It adds a bit of extra flavor, so that the dish won’t feel too “same-y.” It also gives it a delicate crunch that’s nice.

Great pairings for Popcorn & Brown Butter:

Sweet: Caramel popcorn, Caramel Sauce, Toffee, Chocolate Sauce, Chocolate covered pretzels

Savory: Pretzels, bacon

Popcorn & Brown Butter Ice Cream

Laura | October 2018

Prep & Cooking time: 30 minutes

Chilling time: 4 hours

Total time: ~ 4 hours 30 minutes

Servings: Makes about one half quart of ice cream

Level of Skill: Easy

Ingredients:

For your Brown Butter:

• 4 tablespoons of good butter ( 60 grams ) (will reduce to about 40 grams of brown butter)

For your Popcorn:

• 4 tablespoons popcorn kernels
• 1-2 tablespoons of vegetable oil (preferably any oil without flavor e.g. groundnut oil) or butter

For your Custard:

• 1 1/3 cup milk ( 320 ml )
• 1 1/3 cup heavy cream ( 320 ml )
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons brown butter ( see above )
• 6 tablespoons light brown sugar ( 70 grams )
• 4 egg yolks
• 4 cups of popped popcorn (see above)

Instructions:

For the Popcorn:

1. Add your oil (or butter) and three popcorn kernels into a medium pot. Place on the stove and set the temperature to high. Put the lid on and wait for the three kernels to pop, shaking the pot every now and then to prevent burning. Once the kernels have popped, remove them and add the rest of the kernels. Place the lid back on and remove the pot from heat for 30 seconds. After 30 seconds, place the pot back on the high heat. Shake often to prevent burning. Once the sound of popping slows to every ten seconds, remove the pot from the heat and remove the lid. Set the popcorn aside for later.

For the Brown Butter:

(Best if made immediately before you make your custard)

1. Gently heat the butter in a small sauce pot over low to medium heat, stirring constantly. After a few minutes (usually five for me) the butter will begin to form light brown specks. Once the butter has turned a light hazelnut color and gives off a nutty aroma, remove the pan from heat and set aside. It is very easy to burn the butter, so keep a close eye on its progress while it’s cooking.

For the Ice Cream Base:

1. Set your heavy-bottom pan or double boiler over medium high heat. Add the heavy cream, milk, brown butter and salt. Stir until the salt is melted and the dairy mix begins to steam.

2. Whisk the egg yolks and light brown sugar together in a medium bowl. Once it is uniform, add a tablespoon of the steaming dairy mixture while still whisking. Repeat until you have added 3 - 4 tablespoons of the dairy mixture to the yolky sugar mix. Then add this yolk mixture back into the rest of the dairy mixture and return it to medium-low heat, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon. (Try to keep the heat at medium-low - under 80 degrees Celsius). The custard will be done cooking once the mixture is thick enough to glaze the back of the spoon. Run your finger across the back of the spoon. If the custard remains separated, it is done cooking.

3. Remove from heat and stir in your popped popcorn until they are all soaking in the custard. (We suggest four cups for this quantity, but you can add or subtract however much popcorn you like according to your taste. More popcorn will result in a stronger popcorn flavor.)

4. Cover with a clean dishtowel and let cool.

5. Refrigerate in an airtight container overnight.

To finish the ice cream:

1. Strain the chilled custard into a medium bowl to remove all of the popcorn. Press as much “juice” out of the popcorn as you can. This will add a stronger flavor to your ice cream. Some popcorn “pulp” will squeeze through the sieve. Scrape that mush off of the bottom of the sieve and add it to the custard. It will give the ice cream a stronger popcorn flavor and a better texture.

2. When you are ready to churn, follow the instructions of your ice cream maker. Pour your custard into your machine and let it churn until it has the texture you desire.

3. Once finished, store the ice cream in a pre-chilled, air-tight container and freeze!

Nutrition:

(per 1/2 cup serving)

Servings: Four 1/2 cup sized scoops

Fat: 30 grams

Calories: 415

Nutrition estimated by Happyforks.com