Recipe: Make your own S’mores Ice Cream

Campfire s’mores are quintessential cozy fare. S’mores-inspired ice cream with charred marshmallows and chocolate-covered graham crackers? That’s the stuff of summer sundaes.

Take a cue from Marlene Haley and Amelia Ryan, the duo behind Ottawa’s Merry Dairy ice cream shop, and whip up this custard-like ice cream as the base for your sundae. It’s featured in their new cookbook, “Great Scoops: Recipes from a Neighborhood Scoop Shop” (Figure 1 Publishing, $30) written with Anne DesBrisay.

You’ll need an ice cream maker for this recipe. And gobs of hot fudge.

CHARRED MARSHMALLOWS

Makes about ½ cup

INGREDIENTS

½ cup mini marshmallows

DIRECTIONS

Lay marshmallows in a single layer on a baking sheet (without parchment or a silicone baking mat). Use a kitchen torch to toast the marshmallows to your liking. Shimmy the pan to rotate the marshmallows and repeat until most of the white bits are charred or toasted. (Alternatively, preheat broiler and char by laying marshmallows in a single layer on a baking sheet and broiling for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the tray and give it a shimmy to rotate. Toast the other side for another 1 to 2 minutes.)

Set aside to cool.

Marshmallows can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

CHOCOLATE-COVERED GRAHAM CRACKERS

Makes about 1/4 cup

INGREDIENTS

6 squares graham crackers

1/2 cup coarsely chopped dark chocolate (70 to 75 percent cocoa), melted

DIRECTIONS

Arrange graham crackers on a plate and pour melted chocolate on top. Using an offset spatula or spoon, spread chocolate to fully coat the tops of the crackers. Chill in the refrigerator until the chocolate is set. Using your hands, break the crackers into 1/4-inch pieces.

Crackers can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

S’MORES ICE CREAM

Makes about 1 quart

INGREDIENTS

2 cups heavy cream

1 cup whole milk

½ cup sugar

¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

5 large egg yolks

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

Prepare an ice bath: Fill a large bowl halfway with ice and some water. Nestle a smaller, heat-proof bowl in the ice.

In a medium-sized saucepan, combine cream, milk, sugar and salt. Stir over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, until steam begins to rise from the surface. Remove from heat.

While the dairy is warming, whisk the egg yolks in a medium-sized bowl. To temper the yolks, slowly pour 1 cup of the heated cream mixture into the yolks while whisking vigorously. Continue adding heated cream and whisking until about half of the hot cream has been added. Transfer the yolk mixture back to the saucepan.

Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring continuously with a heatproof spatula, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the spatula or a digital thermometer reads 180 degrees (5 to 6 minutes). Immediately remove from heat and strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into the inner bowl of the prepared ice bath.

Stir in vanilla. Cool the custard in the ice bath until room temperature, stirring occasionally. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight.