Toasted Marshmallow Ice Cream

Well this recipe is pretty much the hit of my summer. There are few flavors more summery than toasted marshmallow. And this ice cream honestly captures that flavor - because that's what it is! You basically toast a whole bag of marshmallows, puree them with a vanilla custard base, and churn it in your ice cream machine. Voila!

And it goes without saying (but I'm gonna say it), the s'mores variation possibilities are pretty much endless. Pour on fudge sauce and sprinkle with graham crumbs. Serve on chocolate pie with graham crust. Sandwich between chocolate cookies and roll in graham crumbs. Or sandwich in graham crackers and dip in chocolate - wouldn't that be pretty? How about a s'mores parfait? S'mores milkshake? Oh my. It all sounds so sugary I need a potato chip. I mean a carrot. But you - what you need is this ice cream. So put your machine bowl in the freezer and marshmallows on the list - you are making this tonight!

Toasted Marshmallow Ice Cream

10 ounces marshmallows
2 cups skim milk
1 cup heavy cream
5 egg yolks
scant 1/2 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean (split in half and scraped)
1 tsp vanilla
pinch salt

There are two options for toasting the marshmallows in the kitchen. You can use a broiler (not recommended) or use a torch (recommended). I don't have a torch so I used the broiler. You just have to watch them seriously carefully, and the browning will be uneven. But you can make it work.

Broiler method:

Move one of the shelves in your oven to the highest possible position and preheat the broiler at high for a few minutes. Meanwhile, line a large sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone mat and spread the marshmallows over the pan in a single layer. Place the pan directly under the broiler and watching closely, let them start to brown. Seriously, for me it was like 12 seconds. Do not take your eyes off them. Once they start to toast remove and place in the refrigerator to cool completely. Then flip each marshmallow over and toast the other side. If the marshmallows start to expand too much make sure to remove them before they hit the heating element. My element browned them unevenly so I ended up kind of shifting the pan around every few seconds with the door open to toast them as well as I could.

Torch method:

Spread the marshmallows out in a single layer on a sheet pan lined with parchment or a silicon mat (recommended). Light the torch and begin toasting the marshmallows. If the marshmallows catch fire, blow them out, careful not to blow on the torch and mindful that you’re holding something that could burn down your house. You’ll need to rotate the marshmallows to toast every side. Be careful because the marshmallows can get very hot!

Making the ice cream base

Transfer the toasted marshmallows to the blender. Put the milk and the vanilla bean and scrapings in a heavy bottomed pan and turn the heat to medium. Stir regularly bring the milk up to a light simmer (it should be steaming, but not boiling much). While the milk warms up, put the egg yolks, sugar, and salt into a bowl and whisk together vigorously until the mixture is pale yellow.

Once the milk is hot, remove the vanilla bean and add about 1/4 cup of the milk to the egg yolk mixture while stirring. Once the milk and eggs are well mixed, add a little more hot milk and mix again. You’re gently warming the eggs so that you don’t end up with creamy scrambled eggs. Then pour the yolk/milk mixture into the milk in the pan and start stirring gently, but constantly. Allow the mixture to heat back up to steaming, but make sure that the mixture doesn’t boil. The mixture should thicken up to about the consistency of heavy cream. Take it off the heat and stir vigorously for about 3 minutes to cool slightly and then pour into the blender with the marshmallows.

Cover the blender and run it for about a minute to mix well and then allow the mixture to sit for a couple of minutes (this helps the remaining marshmallow chunks to start breaking down. Unless you want chunks, which I think is pretty good). Run the blender again for about a minute and then add the vanilla and the cold cream and run the blender for about 30 seconds more. Pour the mixture into a bowl, cover, and place in the refrigerator. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours. Right before churning in your favorite ice cream maker, whisk the ice cream mixture to thoroughly blend everything together. Churn in your ice cream maker and then allow the ice cream to ripen (freezer harden) in the freezer for at least two hours.

Recipe from RoastingRambler.com