Morel Mushroom Salted Caramel Ice Cream with Georgian Hazelnut Brittle

Ingredients

• ▸25 g dried morel mushrooms, roughly crumbled
• ▸480 ml heavy cream, divided
• ▸240 ml whole milk
• ▸200 g granulated sugar, divided
• ▸60 ml water
• ▸1.5 tsp flaky sea salt (such as Maldon), plus more to finish
• ▸5 large egg yolks
• ▸1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• ▸1 tbsp unsalted butter
• ▸200 g whole Georgian hazelnuts (or Turkish hazelnuts), toasted and skins rubbed off
• ▸150 g granulated sugar (for brittle)
• ▸2 tbsp water (for brittle)
• ▸1 tsp blue fenugreek (utskho suneli), ground
• ▸0.5 tsp smoked paprika
• ▸1 tsp flaky sea salt (for brittle)
• ▸1 tsp unsalted butter (for brittle)
• ▸0.5 tsp baking soda

Instructions

1. 1

   1. STEEP THE MORELS: Combine crumbled dried morels with 240 ml of the heavy cream in a small saucepan over low heat. Warm gently until just steaming (do not boil), then remove from heat, cover, and steep for 30 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing the mushrooms firmly to extract every drop of cream. Discard solids. You should have mushroom-infused cream that smells like a forest after rain. Reserve.

2. 2

   2. MAKE THE DARK CARAMEL: In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine 160 g of the sugar with 60 ml water over medium heat. Stir only until sugar dissolves, then stop stirring and cook until the caramel turns a deep amber — nearly mahogany — about 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat immediately and carefully whisk in the remaining 240 ml plain heavy cream (it will sputter dramatically; this is fine, you are brave). Whisk in 1 tbsp butter and 1.5 tsp flaky salt. Set aside.

3. 3

   3. MAKE THE CUSTARD BASE: Whisk egg yolks with remaining 40 g sugar in a bowl until pale and slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. In a separate saucepan, warm the whole milk over medium heat until steaming. Slowly pour the hot milk into the egg yolk mixture in a thin stream, whisking constantly to temper. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a silicone spatula, until the custard coats the back of a spoon and reaches 77-80°C (170-176°F).

4. 4

   4. COMBINE AND CHILL: Strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl. Whisk in the morel-infused cream, the salted caramel sauce, and vanilla extract until fully combined. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface and refrigerate until completely cold — at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. The base will smell like a dessert that has made questionable life choices in the best way.

5. 5

   5. CHURN: Pour the chilled base into your ice cream machine and churn according to manufacturer's instructions, typically 25-30 minutes, until thick and creamy with soft-serve consistency. Transfer to a freezer-safe container, press parchment against the surface, and freeze for at least 4 hours until firm.

6. 6

   6. MAKE THE GEORGIAN HAZELNUT BRITTLE: Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or lightly oiled parchment. In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine 150 g sugar with 2 tbsp water over medium heat. Cook without stirring until deep amber caramel forms, about 7-9 minutes. Remove from heat and quickly stir in butter, blue fenugreek, smoked paprika, and baking soda (the baking soda will cause it to foam — this creates the airy, snappy texture). Immediately fold in toasted hazelnuts and pour onto the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Spread quickly with an oiled spatula and let cool completely, about 20 minutes. Break into shards.

7. 7

   7. SERVE: Scoop ice cream into chilled bowls. Tuck two or three shards of hazelnut brittle into each scoop. Finish with a whisper of extra flaky salt. Serve immediately and accept compliments with appropriate humility.

Variations

• ◆Replace hazelnuts with Georgian black walnuts (nigvziani) in the brittle and add 1 tsp ground coriander alongside the blue fenugreek for a spice profile that leans toward satsivi.
• ◆Stir 1 tsp white truffle oil into the custard base with the vanilla. Truffles and morels share many of the same aromatic compounds, and the overlap pushes the umami-caramel depth into genuinely narcotic territory.
• ◆Skip the brittle and make proper churchkhela instead: thread hazelnuts on string, dip in thickened grape juice (badagi), dry, then crumble the result over scoops for fruity tannin notes and a fully Georgian presentation.