Homemade Peanut Butter and Salted Caramel Ice Cream

Prepare the milk base. In a medium saucepan with a thick bottom, pour in 500 ml of heavy cream and 250 ml of milk. Add half of the sugar (125 g). Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is completely dissolved and the mixture is very hot with small bubbles starting to appear at the edges. Do not bring to a boil!

In a large bowl, place 4 egg yolks and the remaining 125 g of sugar. Using a hand whisk or a mixer with a whisk attachment, beat vigorously for about 2-3 minutes. The mixture should become thick, pale yellow, and fluffy. When you lift the whisk, it should leave a clear 'ribbon' on the surface.

Now the key moment - tempering the yolks. Without stopping the beating of the yolks (preferably on low mixer speed or vigorously with a whisk), very slowly, in a thin stream, pour the hot milk mixture into the bowl with the yolks. Pour in about half of the liquid. This process gradually raises the temperature of the yolks, preventing them from curdling into scrambled eggs.

Pour the tempered mixture of egg yolks back into the saucepan with the rest of the hot milk. Place the saucepan over low heat and cook, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom and sides with a silicone spatula. Cook for 5-8 minutes, until the cream thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Check for readiness: dip a spoon, remove it, and run your finger along the back. If a clean line remains, the cream is ready. Do not let it boil, as the cream will curdle!

Immediately after removing from heat, strain the hot cream through a fine sieve into a clean bowl. This will remove any lumps and ensure perfect smoothness. To the still hot cream, add 200 g of peanut butter, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt. Whisk until the peanut butter is completely melted and the mixture is uniform and smooth.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap so that the wrap touches the surface of the cream directly. This will prevent a skin from forming. Place the bowl in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. The base must be VERY cold before you start churning the ice cream.

While the ice base is cooling, prepare the caramel. In a small saucepan with a thick, light bottom, place 100 g of sugar. Heat over medium heat. The sugar will start to melt from the edges. Do not stir it with a spoon, just gently swirl the saucepan to allow it to melt evenly. When all the sugar has dissolved and has taken on a deep amber color (like copper), remove it from the heat for a moment.

Add 50 g of diced butter to the hot caramel. The mixture will start to bubble vigorously and splatter - be careful! Whisk vigorously until the butter is completely absorbed. Then, very slowly, pour in 80 ml of heavy cream in a thin stream, while continuously stirring. The mixture will bubble again. Stir until the sauce is smooth. Remove from heat and stir in 1 teaspoon of coarse sea salt. Set aside to cool completely.

When the ice cream base is completely chilled, pour it into the ice cream machine bowl. Turn on the machine and churn the ice cream according to the manufacturer's instructions, which usually takes about 20-30 minutes. The finished ice cream should have the consistency of very thick, soft cream (known as soft-serve).

Prepare a freezing container, such as a metal loaf pan. Spread half of the churned ice cream on the bottom of the container and smooth the surface with a spatula. Drizzle half of the cooled salted caramel over it. If you are using nuts, sprinkle half of them on top. Additionally, you can sprinkle more nuts to enhance the texture.

Spread the remaining ice cream mixture evenly. Drizzle with the remaining caramel and sprinkle with the rest of the nuts. Now, using a knife or a long skewer, make a few 'swirl' motions in the ice cream mixture to gently mix the caramel and create a marbled effect. Do not mix too vigorously to keep the layers visible.

Cover the surface of the ice cream with a piece of parchment paper, then seal the container tightly (or wrap it in a double layer of plastic wrap). Place it in the freezer for at least 4 hours, preferably 6-8 hours, until the ice cream is completely firm.