With a Bang

January 04 2009 by Kristin at The Kitchen Sink in Dessert,Recipe » 15 comments

I said sometime last week that I believed resolutions don’t count until January 2, but considering that, when I said it, we were on the verge of a New Orleans trip that revolved almost entirely around food (more on that soon!), I probably should’ve nudged the date even later. But in reality, I’m not all that big on resolutions. They feel a lot like Valentine’s Day to me: made-up, invested with sky-high expectations and bound to make someone feel bad.

I do, though, think it’s wise—and natural—to take stock: look forward and backward, reflect and dream, reminisce and commit. And I think it’s also quite lovely to start the new year with a bang. And I would say that our long weekend did just that.

But before our culinary tour of the Big Easy began, there was the matter of a New Year’s Eve dinner. It would be just the two of us and we were almost certain not to stay up long enough to sway tipsily to Auld Lang Syne at midnight (we had an early flight), I wanted our dinner and dessert to be special.

After a month of churning out cookies and candies and such, though, my dessert inspirations were running a little thin. So I dipped deep into my ever-growing stack of recipes and plucked out one that I’ve been meaning to make for months. It was one that I hoped would live up to one of my favorite desserts in Chicago (burnt caramel ice cream at Hot Chocolate) and one that couldn’t possibly be bad, considering it’s components (each one more decadent than the last) and it’s creator (David Lebovitz).

I still don’t have my sea legs when it comes to caramel (ahem), but the level of detail in the recipe and the photos here were incredibly helpful and even I couldn’t screw it up. So, as we closed out 2008 last Wednesday night, Kevin and I dug our spoons into little bowls of this Salted Butter Caramel Ice Cream, which was absolutely incredible: smooth, rich, sweet, salty, deep and complex. I didn’t miss the glittery ball drop one bit.

The recipe for David Lebovitz’s Salted Butter Caramel Ice Cream is here.

Stay Tuned: More on our New Orleans trip later this week. Photos and beignets and gushing, oh my!

15 comments so far. »
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Monica h says on January 05 2009 at 2:09 am:

Yum! I think ice cream is the perfect dessert to start off the new year!
sue bette says on January 05 2009 at 5:59 am:

This ice cream looks wonderful!! I can’t wait for your New Orleans round-up, I haven’t been in a few years and I am dying to get back!
eggsonsunday says on January 05 2009 at 7:28 am:

Delicious! Salted caramel is one of my favorite things on earth. I can’t believe I haven’t made this ice cream yet…I have it bookmarked in my recipe files, too, ever since seeing on his blog. Looking forward to seeing your New Orleans pics! -Amy
Andrea [bella eats] says on January 05 2009 at 9:20 am:

Yum…salted caramel is one of my new obsessions. Can’t wait to hear about your NOLA trip, my hubb and I are trying to decide on a weekend for our annual get-away to our favorite city!
GS says on January 05 2009 at 9:27 am:

Just wanted to drop you a quick note to say thanks for the Brandy Alexander recipe. I made these for New Year’s Eve and used them as dessert to our dinner! Delicious! BTW, my hat’s off to you for successfully making caramel…I always make such a mess!
My Sweet & Saucy says on January 05 2009 at 10:44 am:

That’s my kind of ice cream…looks delicious!
Miri says on January 05 2009 at 11:08 am:

Oh my, some of your photos left me breathless! The ice cream looks fantastic, and the trip you took to New Orleans sounds like so much fun. I’d love to hear more about it. Happy 2009!
Maya says on January 05 2009 at 12:47 pm:

I was just perusing some of my ice cream recipes last night! This looks wonderful.
Dawn in CA says on January 05 2009 at 4:17 pm:

Love David’s blog! I have been dying to try that recipe, also — albeit a non-dairy version. The fact that I don’t own an ice cream maker might be holding me back somewhat. What kind of ice cream maker do you use?
Kevin says on January 05 2009 at 7:36 pm:

That ice cream looks so good!
Hayley says on January 05 2009 at 8:09 pm:

This looks amazing. David’s recipes never fail. I just got an ice cream maker today, and it looks like this will be my first recipe.
Gretchen Noelle says on January 06 2009 at 9:16 pm:

Looks incredibly delicious! Can’t wait to get an ice cream maker!
Kristin at The Kitchen Sink says on January 07 2009 at 4:23 pm:

Thanks, all!

GS: So glad you made use of the Brandy Alexander recipe! I guess things have been a little ice cream-y around here lately, huh?

Dawn: Mine is a Cuisinart—one of the run-of-the-mill models you see in every large retail kitchen/home store. Works like a charm! (For sorbets, too, which I am guessing are a little easier to keep dairy free!)

Hayley: I can’t think of a better inaugural recipe!
brilynn says on January 17 2009 at 10:52 am:

I loved this recipe when I made it… in fact, Lebovitz’s whole book is fantastic!
Kristin at The Kitchen Sink says on January 21 2009 at 9:56 pm:

brilynn: It’s the best.