Equipment
Ingredients
Custard Base
- 480 ml heavy cream, cold
- 240 ml whole milk, cold
- 150 g granulated sugar
- 5 egg yolks
- 10 ml vanilla extract
- 2 g fine sea salt
Salted Almonds
- 150 g slivered almonds
- 15 g unsalted butter, melted
- 5 g flaky sea salt
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 457 kcal
- Protein
- 8 g
- Carbohydrates
- 27 g
- Fat
- 36 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
- Sugar
- 23 g
- Sodium
- 375 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 17 g
- Trans Fat
- 1 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 13 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 4 g
- Cholesterol
- 196 mg
- Potassium
- 249 mg
- Calcium
- 139 mg
- Iron
- 1.1 mg
- Magnesium
- 59 mg
- Phosphorus
- 195 mg
- Zinc
- 1.1 mg
- Vitamin A
- 316 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 0 mg
- Vitamin D
- 2.0 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 5.7 mg
- Vitamin K
- 2 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.1 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.5 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.09 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.44 mg
- Niacin
- 0.8 mg
- Folate
- 29 mcg
- Water
- 69 g
- Alcohol
- 0 g
Sources: USDA FoodData Central
Method
Preheat your oven to 175°C/350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Toss the slivered almonds with the melted butter and flaky sea salt until evenly coated. Spread them out in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.
Roast the almonds in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring halfway through, until they are deep golden brown and fragrant. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
In a medium saucepan, combine the heavy cream, whole milk, 100g of the granulated sugar, and the fine sea salt. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reaches a bare simmer around 80°C/175°F. Remove from heat.
In a heatproof mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks and the remaining 50g of granulated sugar together for about 2 minutes until the mixture is pale, thick, and well combined.
Slowly pour about half of the hot cream mixture into the egg yolks in a thin, steady stream while whisking constantly. This tempers the yolks so they do not scramble.
Pour the tempered egg yolk mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining cream mixture. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or heatproof spatula, until the custard thickens to coat the back of the spoon, reaching an internal temperature of 77°C/170°F.
Immediately pour the hot custard through a fine mesh strainer into a clean mixing bowl to catch any cooked egg bits. Stir in the vanilla extract.
Place the bowl of custard over an ice bath to cool quickly, stirring occasionally. Once at room temperature, cover tightly and chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, or overnight for the best texture and flavor development.
Pour the chilled base into your ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer's instructions until it resembles the texture of soft-serve ice cream.
During the last minute of churning, gently fold in the completely cooled salted roasted almonds, ensuring they are evenly distributed.
Transfer the soft ice cream to a freezer-safe container. Press a piece of parchment paper directly onto the surface, cover with an airtight lid, and freeze for at least 4 hours until firm enough to scoop.
Chef's Notes
- Aging the custard base overnight in the refrigerator not only thoroughly chills it for a smoother churn but also relaxes the milk proteins, yielding a more supple and scoopable final texture.
- Do not skip the melted butter when toasting the almonds. The milk solids in the butter brown alongside the nuts, adding a toffee-like flavor profile, while the fat acts as a moisture barrier to keep the nuts crunchy when suspended in the ice cream.
- If your flaky sea salt crystals are extremely large, lightly crush them between your fingers before tossing with the almonds so you achieve distinct pops of salinity without overwhelming a single bite.
- Food safety note: The custard is cooked to 77°C/170°F, which gently pasteurizes the egg yolks while keeping the mixture silky. Use a digital thermometer for precision.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Applies to the unchurned liquid custard base only.
Freezer: 1 month — Press a layer of wax paper or parchment directly against the surface of the ice cream to prevent ice crystal formation.
Troubleshooting
Custard scrambled or has small cooked egg bits
Cause: The heat was too high during cooking, or the hot cream was added too quickly without adequate whisking during tempering.
Fix: Blend the hot base vigorously with an immersion blender, then pass it through a fine mesh strainer. If heavily scrambled with a strong sulfuric smell, it cannot be fixed.
Prevention: Temper the yolks very slowly while whisking vigorously, and use low heat while constantly stirring the final custard.
Ice cream feels icy or grainy rather than smooth
Cause: Base was not chilled thoroughly before churning, or it froze too slowly in the freezer.
Fix: Cannot be fixed once fully frozen, but can be melted back down, re-chilled, and re-churned if caught immediately.
Prevention: Ensure the custard base is at least refrigerator-cold (preferably aged overnight) and your ice cream maker bowl has been freezing for a full 24 hours prior to use.
Almonds lost their crunch in the ice cream
Cause: Almonds were not roasted deeply enough, or they were added to the base while still warm.
Fix: Cannot be fixed
Prevention: Roast almonds until deeply colored to dry them out, and ensure they are absolutely room temperature before folding into the churned base.
Cultural Context
The tradition of folding nuts into ice cream traces its roots heavily back to American soda fountains and creameries of the early 20th century. By combining a classic European French-style custard base with distinctly American mix-in culture, this recipe highlights the contrast between smooth, velvety dairy and the intensely savory, satisfying crunch of salted nuts.
