POPCORN FROZEN CUSTARD
Ingredients
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
3 cups crushed air-popped popcorn
6 large egg yolks, at room temperature
¾ cup granulated white sugar
½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
TO MAKE THE CUSTARD
1 • Heat the cream and milk in a large saucepan over medium heat until puffs of steam
rise off its surface. Stir in the popcorn, cover, and set aside off the heat for 30 minutes.
Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve or a standard colander lined with
cheesecloth. Using a rubber spatula, press gently against the popcorn to extract the last
drips of liquid. Discard the solids.
2 • Pour the liquid into a clean, large saucepan. Set it over medium heat and again heat it
until those puffs of steam appear. Meanwhile, using an electric mixer at medium speed,
beat the egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl until thick and pale yellow, until thick
ribbons slide off the turned-off beaters, about 4 minutes.
3 • Beat about half the cream mixture into the egg mixture until smooth, then beat this
combined mixture into the remaining cream mixture in the pan until smooth. Set over
low heat, add the salt, and cook, stirring constantly, until it thickly coats the back of a
wooden spoon and the temperature registers 170°F, 4 to 7 minutes.
4 • Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium bowl. Refrigerate for at
least 4 hours or up to 1 day, covering the custard once it’s chilled.
TO FREEZE IT
5 • Prepare an ice-cream machine. Stir the cold custard and freeze it in the machine
according to the manufacturer’s instructions, until the ice cream can mound on a spoon
without immediately melting at its edges. Store in a sealed container in the freezer for up
to 1 month.
• Since the tart is sticky, use a large, dampened chef’s knife to cut it into wedges, wiping the blade after
each slice. Serve with the frozen custard on the side—and with forks, rather than spoons.
TIP • We actually didn’t find that the more we soaked the popcorn, the better the frozen custard tasted. After more
than 30 minutes, the cream mixture started picking up bitter notes, none too appealing.
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
3 cups crushed air-popped popcorn
6 large egg yolks, at room temperature
¾ cup granulated white sugar
½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
TO MAKE THE CUSTARD
1 • Heat the cream and milk in a large saucepan over medium heat until puffs of steam
rise off its surface. Stir in the popcorn, cover, and set aside off the heat for 30 minutes.
Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve or a standard colander lined with
cheesecloth. Using a rubber spatula, press gently against the popcorn to extract the last
drips of liquid. Discard the solids.
2 • Pour the liquid into a clean, large saucepan. Set it over medium heat and again heat it
until those puffs of steam appear. Meanwhile, using an electric mixer at medium speed,
beat the egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl until thick and pale yellow, until thick
ribbons slide off the turned-off beaters, about 4 minutes.
3 • Beat about half the cream mixture into the egg mixture until smooth, then beat this
combined mixture into the remaining cream mixture in the pan until smooth. Set over
low heat, add the salt, and cook, stirring constantly, until it thickly coats the back of a
wooden spoon and the temperature registers 170°F, 4 to 7 minutes.
4 • Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium bowl. Refrigerate for at
least 4 hours or up to 1 day, covering the custard once it’s chilled.
TO FREEZE IT
5 • Prepare an ice-cream machine. Stir the cold custard and freeze it in the machine
according to the manufacturer’s instructions, until the ice cream can mound on a spoon
without immediately melting at its edges. Store in a sealed container in the freezer for up
to 1 month.
• Since the tart is sticky, use a large, dampened chef’s knife to cut it into wedges, wiping the blade after
each slice. Serve with the frozen custard on the side—and with forks, rather than spoons.
TIP • We actually didn’t find that the more we soaked the popcorn, the better the frozen custard tasted. After more
than 30 minutes, the cream mixture started picking up bitter notes, none too appealing.