minnesota born apples: haralson, beacon, red baron, state fair, honey gold, regent, fireside, keepsake, prairie spy, sweet sixteen, sweetango, frostbite, snowsweet, zestar, and of course the honeycrisp.
why would you need apples from any other state?
at my local grocery, one can find organic braeburns. or conventional honeycrisps (grown in washington).
so this was quickly becoming the most depressing apple season of my life.
but my sweet, sweet sister brought me a bag of farmer's market haralsons from her recent travels!
and since haralsons happen to be mom's favorite, i had to kick of the season with a classic. and make some caramel ice cream to go with it!
apple pie filling
enough apples to mound your pie plate
1 (very generous) tsp cinnamon
1/2 c sugar
1/4 flour
1 tbs lemon juice
preheat oven to 375f.
peel, core, and slice your apples. toss with other ingredients. place in prepared pie plate, cover with dough, bake for 60-90 minutes. until bubbly and golden.
salted caramel ice cream
(adapted from epicurious)
1 1/4 cups sugar, divided
2 1/4 cups heavy cream, divided
1 teaspoon flaky sea salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup whole milk
3 large eggs
heat 1 cup sugar in a dry 10-inch heavy skillet over
medium heat, stirring with a fork to heat sugar evenly, until it starts
to melt,
then stop stirring and cook, swirling skillet occasionally so sugar
melts evenly, until it is dark amber.
slowly pour in 1 1/4 cups cream and cook, stirring, until
all of caramel has dissolved. transfer to a bowl and stir in sea salt
and vanilla. cool to room temperature.
meanwhile, bring milk, remaining cup cream, and remaining 1/4 cup sugar
just to a boil in a small heavy saucepan, stirring occasionally.
lightly whisk eggs in a medium bowl, then add half of hot milk mixture
in a slow stream, whisking constantly. pour back into saucepan and cook
over lower heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until custard
coats back of spoon and registers 170°F on an instant-read thermometer
(do not let boil). pour custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a large
bowl, then stir in cooled caramel.
chill custard, stirring occasionally, until very cold, 3 to 6 hours. freeze custard in ice cream maker (it will still be quite soft),
then transfer to an airtight container and put in freezer to firm up.
this is the MOST amazing ice cream. the caramel creates the smoothest texture!
note: if you pour your base back into the cream without adjusting the heat, it may curdle. if it curdles (which mine did. because i cannot follow directions.) throw it all in the blender and voila! smooth as silk!
also. if you'd like to skip the 3-6 hour bit, just put it in the freezer and stir more frequently.
