I haven’t had the chance to taste ice cream from Salt and Straw yet, but when I saw this recipe, I knew their ice cream wasn’t just notorious for their innovations in flavor. I have never seen an ice cream base recipe quite like theirs. Xanthan gum? Dry milk powder? No eggs? It was going to be one of those recipes that was either genius or a disappointing experiment. Without a doubt, it (not surprisingly) ended up as the former. I don’t even want to admit how many times we made it over and over within a few weeks time, until we realized we maybe shouldn’t be eating that much ice cream.
I have never loved egg-based homemade ice cream recipes. They always end up too custardy for my taste, and I prefer a cleaner, dairy-rich taste. This recipe is my new go-to, and is endlessly adaptable with different flavor variations. The recipe recommends letting the base sit for 6-24+ hours in the fridge before freezing. I’ve tried anywhere along that spectrum, and while you can’t go wrong either way, we all preferred the longer resting period for taste and texture.
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons dry milk powder
- ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum
- 1⅓ cups heavy cream
- 1 vanilla bean
- 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
- 1⅓ cups whole milk
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- In a small bowl, mix together the granulated sugar, milk powder, and xanthan gum until well combined.
- In a small sauce pan, add cream over medium heat. Split vanilla bean lengthwise, scraping out seeds with a knife. Add seeds and pod to cream. Allow cream to come to a gentle simmer but do not boil.
- While cream and vanilla bean mixture is heating, combine corn syrup and milk in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Add sugar mixture from above and whisk until smooth. Cook, whisking frequently, until starting to simmer and sugar is dissolved, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Pour cream mixture into milk mixture, whisking to combine. Add salt and stir to combine. Let cool slightly. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerator until chilled, at least 6 hours but ideally 12-24 hours (can also make ahead and store for 5-7 days before freezing). Remove from refrigerator. Add to ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions.
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