BUTTERSCOTCH ICE CREAM WITH FONDANT AU CHOCOLAT

Autumn is coming and fast here in Germany.  Although this summer was short, it was surprisingly consistent and hot!

The past two weeks here have been overcast and chilled. Rain whips the windows and terrorizes our landlady's cat. The sun goes to bed earlier, and the radiators have started making odd hissing noises. (Also unpleasant for the cat).

This atmosphere is perfect for two things: cozy reading by the window and eating all the glorious autumn dishes coming our way. 

Butterscotch can be made any time of the year, but it pairs perfectly with most Autumnal flavors: Baking spices, apples, and baked goods. 

In this recipe we play around with different kinds of dark and buttery flavors. The butterscotch ice cream soaks into crumbles of dark fondant au chocolat (basically a French brownie) and offers a slightly smoky caramel taste to the swarthy cocoa bean.

Enjoy!!

Ingredients:

(Makes about a half quart)

For your Butterscotch:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter ( 25 grams )

1/2 cup brown sugar ( 110 grams )

1/2 cup heavy cream ( 120 ml )

For your Butterscotch Custard:

1/2 cup heavy cream ( 120 ml )

3/4 cup milk ( 180 ml )

1/4 vanilla bean split open with seeds scraped out (or an equivalent -  pure extract | ground bean)

1/8 teaspoon salt

4 egg yolks

Bowl of ice water

1/3 cup of chocolate fondant crumbled

For your Chocolate Fondant (i.e. gooey brownie):

(Makes a small cake)

1 bar of dark chocolat ( 200 g )

4 eggs

7 tablespoons good butter ( 100 g )

1/2 cup powdered sugar ( 60 g )

little less than 1/2 cup all purpose flour

To Garnish:

Save some brownie/fondant for the top (or bottom) if you like!

Tools:

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.)

Oven & Stove

Large bowl & smaller bowl (ice bath)

Medium bowl

Whisk

Sieve

Wooden spoon* 

Spatula*

Thermometer*

*Ideal, not essential

Instructions:

To make the Butterscotch:

(With caramel - including brown sugar caramel like butterscotch - you’ll need to work quickly. It’s best to have everything ready before you begin.)

1. Set a heavy-bottom pot over medium heat. (very important to keep the temperature controlled. Sugar burns easily often resulting in a an overwhelming smoky taste)

2. Add the butter and let it melt. Stir in the brown sugar and keep stirring as it is liquified. 

3. Allow it to come to a gentle boil. Gentle being the key word here. (I burned the bejeezus out of my first butterscotch even with a watchful eye... our stove isn't great.)

4. After 3 - 5 minutes, the sugar should still be a light brown color. Stir in the 1/2 cup of heavy cream until it is mixed evenly. (It might hiss when you add the liquid. Don’t worry. Just avoid being splattered by the hot sugar.) Remove from the heat and set to the side.

To make the Ice Cream Base: 

1. Fill a large bowl with cold water and ice. Float a medium mixing bowl in the cold water. (This will become an ice bath for cooling the custard later on.) 

2. Set your heavy-bottom pot or double boiler over medium high heat. Add the 1/2 cup of heavy cream and 3/4 cup milk. Whisk the butterscotch, vanilla, and salt into the dairy mix. Stir until the salt is melted and the dairy mix begins to steam. 

3. Whisk the egg yolks 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. Strain the custard into the medium bowl floating in your ice bath and stir until cool. (5-ish minutes)

5. Refrigerate in an airtight container for at least four hours. Letting it sit even longer, perhaps overnight, is even better.

To make the Fondant au Chocolat (Fudgy Brownies): 

1. Preheat your oven to 375°F ( or 200 °C )

2. In a saucepan, melt chocolate and butter over very low heat.

3. In a bowl, add the sugar, eggs, flour and chocolate. Mix well.

4. Butter and flour your mold and pour the cake batter.

5. Bake for about 10 to 11 minutes. At the end of the baking time the cake will not seem cooked enough. This is normal, let it cool down before removing it from the cake pan. The result will be solid on the outside, yet soft in the middle.

To finish the Ice Cream:

6. When you are ready to churn, follow the instructions of your ice cream maker. Pour your chilled custard into your machine and let it churn until it has the texture you desire. Once finished, transfer the custard to a chilled bowl and gently fold in your crumbled fondant/brownies. (The best part is how the brownie soaks up the butterscotch. It's divine.) 

7. Store the ice cream in a pre-chilled, air-tight container and freeze! 

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This Butterscotch ice cream with Fondant au Chocolat will keep for about one week.

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Notes :

+  Autumn is a great time for Butterscotch. The flavor of butterscotch is warm and dark, like a cup of hot cocoa on a cold day. Because of this, Butterscotch goes pretty well with most Autumnal flavors: Baking spices, Apples, Dark Rum, Warm Waffles, you name it.

+ Keep the heat on medium to low when making your butterscotch. As with any type of caramel, it's best to be conservative with your temperature here, i.e., sugar burns easily. It's better to have to wait a bit longer for the butterscotch to form than to have to restart all over again because you burned the first batch. Good luck!

+ Finding Real Brown Sugar outside of the U.S. - Bad news everyone... it is pretty difficult to find real brown sugar if you're not in the states. I have searched all over Munich and they have no idea what I'm talking about. (And no, brauner Zucker is not the same thing. Please trust me on this.) You might be able to find imported brown sugar at specialty gourmet shops in cities like London or Paris, but if your search fails, here are my suggestions:

1. When you visit the U.S., leave room in your suitcase to bring unique things back - Of course this requires patience and pre-planning, but c'est la vie, non? Last time we visited the U.S. we left space in our suitcases to bring all things "American" back with us. (Peanut butter, Brown Sugar, Books in English, Laura's favorite hair pins.)

2. Order it Online - Not ideal. (I hate to think of how wasteful small-scale shipping is. So please aim for the first suggestion and just bring it yourself!)

+ Toppings: Since this already has a lot going on inside of the ice cream, we would suggest using restraint when adding toppings. Garnish with more brownie/fondant or sprinkle some walnuts or pecans on top. Just keep it balanced!

Great pairings for Butterscotch:

Sweet: Chocolate, Mellow Nuts (Walnut, Pecan, etc), Flaky Sea Salt, Coffee, Liqueur (Bourbon, Whiskey, Dark Rum), Baking Spices (Clove, Cinnamon, etc),  Fall Fruits (Apple, Pear, etc.), Warm baked goods (Waffles, Pancakes, Coffeecake), Maple

Savory: Maple Bacon / Brown Sugar Rubbed Bacon.... it might sound weird, but Laura's sister (who went to cooking school) swears by it. Especially if you've burnt your butterscotch a bit.

Big Sister’s recipe for Brown Sugar Bacon: 

1. Place the oven rack in the lower third of your oven and preheat it to 400°F (205 °C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a cross-wire cooling rack over it. 

2. Run your strips of bacon under cool water (helps reduce shrinkage). Brush both sides of the bacon with balsamic vinegar and place on the rack spaced evenly. Rub a little brown sugar on the side of the bacon facing upwards. 

3. Bake for 15 to 20 mins (or until it is cooked through. It's better to be on the crunchy side if you're adding it to ice cream.)

4. Chop or break into small pieces and fold into your ice cream before serving!

Butterscotch Ice Cream with Fondant au Chocolat

Laura | October 2019

Prep & Cooking time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Chilling time: 4 hours

Total time: ~ 5 hours 30 minutes

Servings: Makes about one half quart of ice cream

Level of Skill: Medium

Ingredients:

For your Butterscotch:

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter ( 25 grams )
• 1/2 cup brown sugar ( 110 grams )
• 1/2 cup heavy cream ( 120 ml )

For your Butterscotch Custard:

• 1/2 cup heavy cream ( 120 ml )
• 3/4 cup milk ( 180 ml )
• 1/4 vanilla bean split open with seeds scraped out (or an equivalent - pure extract | ground bean)
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 4 egg yolks
• 1/3 cup of chocolate fondant crumbled

For your Chocolate Fondant (i.e. gooey brownie): (Makes a small cake)

• 1 bar of dark chocolat ( 200 g )
• 4 eggs
• 7 tablespoons good butter ( 100 g )
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar ( 60 g )
• little less than 1/2 cup all purpose flour

Instructions:

To make the Butterscotch:

(With caramel - including brown sugar caramel like butterscotch - you’ll need to work quickly. It’s best to have everything ready before you begin.)

1. Set a heavy-bottom pot over medium heat. (very important to keep the temperature controlled. Sugar burns easily often resulting in a an overwhelming smoky taste)

2. Add the butter and let it melt. Stir in the brown sugar and keep stirring as it is liquified.

3. Allow it to come to a gentle boil. Gentle being the key word here. (I burned the bejeezus out of my first butterscotch even with a watchful eye... our stove isn't great.)

4. After 3 - 5 minutes, the sugar should still be a light brown color. Stir in the 1/2 cup of heavy cream until it is mixed evenly. (It might hiss when you add the liquid. Don’t worry. Just avoid being splattered by the hot sugar.) Remove from the heat and set to the side.

To make the Ice Cream Base:

1. Fill a large bowl with cold water and ice. Float a medium mixing bowl in the cold water. (This will become an ice bath for cooling the custard later on.)

2. Set your heavy-bottom pot or double boiler over medium high heat. Add the 1/2 cup of heavy cream and 3/4 cup milk. Whisk the butterscotch, vanilla, and salt into the dairy mix. Stir until the salt is melted and the dairy mix begins to steam.

3. Whisk the egg yolks 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. Strain the custard into the medium bowl floating in your ice bath and stir until cool. (5-ish minutes)

5. Refrigerate in an airtight container for at least four hours. Letting it sit even longer, perhaps overnight, is even better.

To make the Fondant au Chocolat (Fudgy Brownies):

1. Preheat your oven to 375°F ( or 200 °C )

2. In a saucepan, melt chocolate and butter over very low heat.

3. In a bowl, add the sugar, eggs, flour and chocolate. Mix well.

4. Butter and flour your mold and pour the cake batter.

5. Bake for about 10 to 11 minutes. At the end of the baking time the cake will not seem cooked enough. This is normal, let it cool down before removing it from the cake pan. The result will be solid on the outside, yet soft in the middle.

To finish the Ice Cream:

1. When you are ready to churn, follow the instructions of your ice cream maker. Pour your chilled custard into your machine and let it churn until it has the texture you desire. Once finished, transfer the custard to a chilled bowl and gently fold in your crumbled fondant/brownies. (The best part is how the brownie soaks up the butterscotch. It's divine.)

2. Store the ice cream in a pre-chilled, air-tight container and freeze!

Nutrition:

(per 1/2 cup serving)

Servings: eight 1/2 cup sized scoops

Fat: 33 grams

Calories: 490

Nutrition estimated by Happyforks.com