Meet Lola

While training for the Brighton Marathon earlier this year, I had the somewhat unhealthy-but-totally-worth-it tendency to end my long training runs at an ice cream parlor. While chocolate milkshakes worked wonders to replenish my muscles after an arduous 12, 14, 16, or 20-OMG-mile run, the cost also added up. I began to keep my eyes open for other alternatives, minus the hand crank.

Every other Tuesday, I have a standing appointment in Friendship Heights. Right across the street from the metro is a Sur La Table, which I tend to feel myself being pulled toward every.single.time. At this particular location, an employee named Eleanor and I usually chat about what products are available in the clearance sales, as I tend to find more attractive pieces there.

In March, I walked into a SLT bonanza. Not only did I leaf through David Lebovitz' The Perfect Scoop, but Eleanor informed me that the store was upgrading their available model of ice cream maker. Upgrades mean older versions get pushed to clearance, and on this day, this was indeed the case. I walked out that day with a shiny, beautiful bucket-style automatic Cuisinart ice cream maker, much like this one:

Courtesy of Google Products and Cuisinart

Upon arrival at the Kabana, I christened her Lola. With her fiery red temperament and my passion for ice cream indulgence, we have been through a lot together. After finishing the National Half-Marathon, Lola offered up some amazing dark chocolate frozen yogurt. During March Madness, Lola didn't disappoint with her Duke blueberry-lemon froyo. At a friend's sushi party, Lola generously churned forward a tidy quart of gingersnap froyo.

Perhaps it is because the DC summer has encroached with its scorching sun's rays, or maybe it's just that I adore ice cream, but Lola and I have recently made the leap from frozen yogurt to bonafide Philadelphia-style ice cream (which as nothing to do with Philly, really, and everything to do with the lack of eggs present in this dessert). Our first experiment yielded spectacular, amazing, stupendous, incredible, melt-in-your-mouth results.

Yes, this is fattening. Yes, this is rich. Yes, it is totally worth it to get in that extra mile of running or thirty minutes of walking or one hour of whatever kind of movement you love the most. And you will be the hit of any party at which this particular ice cream is offered.

With inspiration from David Lebovitz and Christie's Corner, Lola and I now proudly present:

SEA SALTED CARAMEL ICE CREAM

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups sugar, divided or a store-bought, standard jar of prepared caramel ice cream topping
  
• 2 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream, divided
• 1 1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup 2% milk

Instructions

1. In a heavy skillet with a light interior, heat 1 cup sugar over medium heat. Stir gently until the sugar starts to melt. When it does, stop stirring but continue to cook the sugar, swirling the skillet occasionally to ensure the sugar melts evenly. The caramel is done when it turns dark amber.
2. Stir in 1 1/4 cups cream. Be careful, the mixture will spatter! Continue cooking until all the caramel has dissolved. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.
   
3. Pour the caramel into a bowl. Add sea salt and vanilla. Allow the caramel to cool to room temperature. At this point, you may want to take a taste to see if there is enough salt for your liking.
   
4. Meanwhile, bring the milk, the remaining 1 1/4 cups cream, and remaining 1/4 cup sugar just to a boil. Allow to simmer 15 minutes then set aside to cool.
5. When both the milk mixture and caramel have cooled to room temperature, remove skin from the milk mixture and stir it into the caramel.
6. Refrigerate the mix for several hours (or overnight) and then pop in the freezer for an hour just before churning. You want to churn this when really cold.
7. Churn in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. The ice cream will still be soft but should be firm enough to keep its shape when you remove the paddle.
8. Transfer to an airtight container and freezer until firm. The longer this freezes, the better it will be!

I recommend enjoying this on its own, between two chocolate chip cookies, or with some roasted bananas on top.

Hello summer!