TWD: Burnt Sugar Ice Cream

This time last week, I had decided that I wouldn't participate in making Burnt Sugar Ice Cream. The last time I made ice cream, I had to borrow Shirley's ice cream maker. It worked really well, but it required ice and rock salt (but at least it was electric!)...and that was more than I wanted to deal with this time. But I decided at the very last minute to put out a request via Facebook for some kind friend to lend me a countertop ice cream maker. Devona, my friend from church, happily obliged and let me borrow her shiny, stainless steel Cuisinart ice cream maker. Fancy! Sooo, I had no excuse not to participate.
Lots of TWDers were swooning over this ice cream. I couldn't imagine any ice cream being that good...especially any with the word "burnt" in the title. Oh, how I wanted to back out. I'm so intimidated of making caramel. I always chicken out and take it off the heat too quickly and it just doesn't have much flavor. So this week, I was bound and determined to let the caramel get a "deep amber color" like Dorie suggests. It took everything I had not to take the pan off the heat, but I didn't. And when I tasted the custard, I thought, "Hmmm...tastes a little...burnt." I figured I'd ruined it. I even considered dumping the custard down the drain. But I didn't! I let it chill in the fridge overnight and then churned it.

Yum! I wouldn't say that I'm in love with this ice cream like many TWDers are, but it was very tasty. It's definitely a grown-up ice cream...I don't think kiddos would appreciate the complexity of flavors. I can't believe that this delicious ice cream just started with sugar, water, eggs, milk, cream, and vanilla. This is a perfect example that illustrates why baking is sort of like "miracle-making" to me. If you plan to make any ice cream this summer, please give this one a try! Becky, of Project Domestication, picked this winner, and she's got the recipe on her site.