Bill Gross, who was executive sous chef at Café Gray in New York City, was kind enough to create this recipe for me—and it is simply delicious. The technique is fascinating, but it does require some careful watching while the sugar caramelizes. The oranges are prepared two days ahead, and the ice cream one day ahead—and the waiting is well worth it!
• Dont throw away those scraped-out vanilla beans! Place them in a large jar, add 4 to 6 cups granulated sugar, cover the jar, and let it sit for 3 weeks to create vanilla sugar. As you use the sugar, keep adding more to the jar. The beans will keep indefinitely.
Recipe information
Yield
Makes 5 cups
Ingredients
FOR THE ORANGES:
FOR THE ICE CREAM:
Preparation
Step 1
1. One day ahead, prepare the oranges: Position a rack in the center of the oven, and preheat the oven to 450°F.
Step 2
2. Place 1/2 cup of the sugar on a plate. Rub the butter over the oranges, then roll them in the sugar.
Step 3
3. Pour the unused sugar from the plate into an 8-inch square baking pan, and shake it around to cover the bottom of the pan. Place the oranges in the pan and bake, moving them around once to break up any unmelted sugar, until they start to color and some of the sugar in the pan starts to melt, 15 to 20 minutes.
Step 4
4. Remove the pan from the oven (leaving the oven on), and using tongs and a sharp knife, carefully quarter the oranges. Place the quarters, skin side up, in the baking pan and bake until the peel is dark brown, about 35 minutes. Let the orange quarters cool slightly.
Step 5
5. Remove the peel from 4 of the browned quarters, discarding the pulp. Leave the other 4 quarters intact.
Step 6
6. Combine the orange peel, the 4 intact quarters, the sugar from the pan, and the remaining 2 cups sugar in a food processor, and puree. Strain the puree into a container, cover it, and refrigerate for at least 8 hours.
Step 7
7. The next day, prepare the ice cream mixture: Place the orange puree in a saucepan over medium-low heat, and bring it to a simmer.
Step 8
8. While the orange puree is heating, whisk the cream, half-and-half, vanilla seeds, and egg yolks together in a large bowl. Then, whisking constantly, slowly add the hot orange puree. Let the mixture cool to room temperature, and then refrigerate it until it is cold, 3 to 4 hours.
Step 9
9. Freeze the mixture in an ice-cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Step 10
10. Transfer the ice cream to a container, cover, and store in the freezer until ready to serve.
