Apple Pie Ice Cream

Ok, so it looks more like Apple Pie Ice Cream soup. I promise, it's ice cream and it still tastes very yummy. I'm just impatient and didn't let it sit long enough in the freezer.

What says summer more than apple pie and ice cream? How about the two mixed together? July is National Ice Cream month, so to celebrate the last day of July (where is this year going, by the way?) and to participate in Bake at 350's Flavor of the Month, I give you Apple Pie Ice Cream.

It's Cinnamon Ice Cream with graham cracker crumbs and caramelized apples mixed into it. Yummy yum yum. It's like summer in a bowl.

Cinnamon Ice Cream
Source: David Lebovitz, The Perfect Scoop

1 cup whole milk
3/4 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
Ten 3-inch cinnamon sticks, broken up
2 cups heavy cream
5 large egg yolks

Warm the milk, sugar, salt, cinnamon sticks, and 1 cup of the cream in a medium saucepan. Once warm, cover, remove from the heat, and let steep at room temperature for 1 hour.

Rewarm the cinnamon-infused milk mixture. Remove the cinnamon sticks with a slotted spoon and discard them. Pour the remaining 1 cup cream into a large bowl and set a mesh strainer on top.

In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.

Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula. Pour the custard through the strainer and into the cream. Stir until cool over an ice bath.

Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Caramelized Apples
3 Fuji apples, chopped into bite sized pieces
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
Pinch of salt

In a large skillet, melt the butter and brown sugar together. Stir in the apples, cinnamon and salt. Caramelize until apples are deep brown and soft. Cool in refrigerator before stirring into ice cream.

For the Apple Pie Ice Cream
Place 6 graham crackers in a large Ziploc bag. Break up the graham crackers with a mallet, rolling pin, or heavy skillet. Within the last few minutes of the ice cream churning, pour in the graham cracker crumbs. When ice cream is finished, fold in the caramelized apples.

Check out the other entries into the Flavor of the Month: