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Monday, December 20, 2010

Momofuku milk bar cereal milk ice cream



Ladies and gents, prepare yourself for the yummiest ice cream in the world.

If you are stuck indoors thanks to good ol' California rain this holiday season, I highly recommend investing in an ice cream maker so you can start churning out homemade ice cream. I also highly recommend investing in a heavy duty treadmill and/or Stairmaster, probably the only better thing than homemade whipped cream to go with said ice cream.

This ice cream uses milk that has been steeped in caramelized corn flakes. If you have never met a caramelized corn flake, consider the following dialog:

(Scene: kitchen, two baking sheets spread with caramelized corn flakes have been resting on the counter for some time)

Mom: Ohmygosh. These are so good.
Me: What? You ate some?? They're supposed to be fo-
Dad: Yeah, they're so good.
Me: You too??
Mom and Dad: Oh, we weren't supposed to?
Me: Uh, no, not really, these are for ice cream. That's okay. How much did you eat?
Mom: Ah, maybe this much (gestures toward cupped palm)
Me: ...there's one and a half sticks of butter in there!

Due to this unfortunate incident, we may have used less caramelized cornflakes than the recipe called for, but the world did not end at all. In fact, it is just beginning.

CEREAL MILK ICE CREAM RECIPE (from Momofuku Milk Bar)

Ingredients

For Caramelized Cornflakes (makes 18 oz; recipe adapted from Momofuku)

  • 10 oz cornflakes
  • 2 oz nonfat dry milk powder
  • 4 tbsp sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt (we used a teeny bit less because our tongues aren't calibrated to average salt levels)
  • 6.5 oz (one and a half stick) unsalted butter, melted

For Cereal Milk (approximately 1 cup):

  • 4 cups whole milk
  • 14 oz caramelized cornflakes

For Cereal Milk Ice Cream (makes approximately 3,5 cups):

  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup cereal milk
  • 1/2 cup sugar (we used a teeny pit less)
  • 1/4 tsp salt (we omitted this b/c the cornflakes added enough saltiness to the cereal milk)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 4 large egg yolks
  • 4 oz caramelized cornflakes, to serve

Method

  1. To prepare the caramelized cornflakes, preheat your oven to 275 F (140 C). Put the cornflakes in a large mixing bowl and crush them with your hands a few times. Combine milk powder, sugar and salt in another bowl, give it a stir and set aside. Add the melted butter to the cornflakes and then the sugar mixture and toss to combine. Spread out on two baking sheets lined with parchment paper and bake in the preheated oven until they caramelize, for approximately 35 minutes. Remove and let cool to room temperature.
  2. To prepare the cereal milk, combine 14 oz of caramelized cornflakes and milk in a large mixing bowl and let steep for an hour. Strain the milk with the help of a fine-mesh sieve (make sure to press on the cornflakes with a spatula to extract as much liquid as possible), strain once again (through a finer sieve or cheesecloth this time), pour it in a container and set aside.
  3. To prepare the cereal milk ice cream, pour the heavy cream in a medium bowl and place it in the fridge until needed. Combine cereal milk, sugar, salt and vanilla extract in a small pot and bring to a boil over medium heat.
  4. In the meantime, in a medium pot, whisk together egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm milk mixture into the yolks while whisking constantly. Place over medium heat and stir until the mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon.
  5. Pour the custard through a strainer into the chilled heavy cream and stir to combine.
  6. Chill the mixture overnight, then freeze it in your ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
  7. Serve with the remaining caramelized cornflakes.

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