Brown Butter Ice Cream

Brown the butter by cooking over medium heat until it is amber in color, and strain into a bowl.

While butter cooks, bring the cream and milk to a simmer over medium heat in a saucepan.

In a heat-proof bowl, whisk the yolks, sugars and salt until they are blended and thick. (Keep whisking until most, if not all, of the brown sugar is dissolved. This improves the final texture greatly.) Whisk in the browned butter, about 1 tablespoon at a time.

Remove the hot cream mixture from heat and drizzle into the yolk mixture, whisking briskly to keep the egg from cooking. When both are incorporated, return the mixture (now a custard) to the saucepan and stir over medium-low heat until an instant-read thermometer reads 178°F.

Strain custard through a fine sieve or cheesecloth into a clean bowl. Let cool to room temperature. Stir in vanilla.

Store custard in an airtight container in the fridge overnight. (This is called curing; the flavors will meld together and yield a richer, more complex ice cream.) In the morning, process in your ice cream maker according to its particular directions, then store in the freezer.

Makes about 4 cups.

(Recipe adapted from Bon Appétit.)