Apple Cider Sorbet

It's fall, so along with all the pumpkin-y goodness it is almost mandatory that everyone has a little apple cider around. Sure, the four gallons we have in our refrigerator might be overkill, but 1) hello, free 2) hello, tasty. I froze half of it to break out later for Thanksgiving and Christmas, but I saved some of it for sorbet.

Apple Cider Sorbet

6c. apple cider
1/2T. cinnamon
1/2c. sugar
2 apples - quartered

Combine all ingredients and simmer for 15 min. Chill. Remove apples and churn for about 25min. Freeze overnight.

Cider already has so much sugar that it doesn't require much. While a few more mulling spices probably would have rounded out the flavor a lot more, I think it was fine with just the cinnamon and extra apple. To serve, I cut some apples in half and hallowed them out with a paring knife and scooped the sorbet into them. The texture wasn't at all ice-crystal-y like I expected...it was actually pretty smooth.

Imagination: Caramel Apple Ice Cream

So it's fall and with an abundance of fairs and sweets, why not transfer them into different mediums? I love caramel apples, but they are practically impossible to eat....and then they have those caramel apple lollipops and damn they are not even remotely the same. So I figured, why not transpose this marvelous concept into ice cream?

I immediately made the decision to not cook the apples. I am looking for a fresh taste, afterall, not one of an apple pie. So why not let the fresh apples infuse the custard, huh? I only used 5 apples, but I changed the recipe to 7 because it just wasn't apple-y enough.

Caramel Apple Ice Cream

ice cream base
3c. whole milk
1T. vanilla
4 egg yolks
1/4c. sugar
7 peeled apples (skins reserved)

caramel
1c. sugar
2T oil or butter
1/4c. milk or soy milk

garnish
reserved apple skins- julienned
1c. canola oil
salt and sugar to taste

In a saucepan, heat milk and vanilla until simmering. Whisk egg yolks and sugar together until fluffy. Temper dairy into yolks and return to heat, stirring constantly until mixture begins to thicken. Transfer to a bowl and chill. Peel the apples and reserve the skins. It is easiest if you peel them with a chanelling knife or you can simply use a peeler and julienne the skins after peeling. Using a box grater, grate the peeled apples and add them to the chilled custard. Set mixture overnight.

In the meantime, add 2c. sugar to a saucepan. Set burner to high and allow the sugar to caramelize. Once all the sugar has dissolved, and the mixture is a golden brown, shut off heat and add oil stirring constantly with heat-proof spatula or whisk. Add the milk (I use soy milk to prevent curdling) and stir until fully incorporated. Put in heatproof bowl and cool. You want the mixture to still be syrupy, but not enough to harden.

The next day, put mixture in a blender or food processor and puree. Strain ice cream base through a seive or cheesecloth and add to ice cream maker. Churn until mixture begins to thicken. In the last 3 minutes, add the cooled caramel. You may not need all of it. Only add enough to create a swirl. Immediately transfer ice cream to freeze-proof containers and allow to freeze overnight.

In a pan, carefully heat the canola oil. Toss the strips of skin in sugar and fry them in the hot oil. Once they begin to caramelize, remove from oil and sprinkle with kosher salt. set aside for garnish.