Arbequina olive oil, pear and blue cheese, and strawberry honey balsamic with black pepper are just a few of the award-winning flavors you can find at Portland’s famous Salt & Straw, which recently expanded to the Southwest after opening its first Arizona location in Gilbert’s Epicenter at Agritopia. Known for its unorthodox menu, the artisan ice creamery embraces the latest and greatest culinary trends and seasonal ingredients, offering a rotating monthly menu in addition to its signature flavors.

Salt & Straw’s Head Ice Cream Innovator Tyler Malek, who co-founded the company alongside cousin Kim Malek, shares his grandma’s secret almond brittle and salted ganache ice cream recipe for the first time, exclusively for our readers.

“My grandmother’s famous almond brittle joins forces with slightly salty, chocolatey globs of ganache to make a flavor that’s oh-my-ganache good,” he says. “Just the right amount of salt brings all the toffee-y, chocolatey, toasted almond flavors together. There’d be riots in Portland if we took it off the menu—so we just keep making more!”

Grandma Malek’s Famous Almond Brittle with Salted Ganache Ice Cream

For the ice cream base

½ cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons dry milk powder
¼ teaspoon xanthan gum
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 ⅓ cups whole milk
1 ⅓ cups heavy cream

Combine the sugar, dry milk and xanthan gum in a small bowl and stir well.

Pour the corn syrup into a medium pot and stir in the whole milk. Add the sugar mixture and immediately whisk vigorously until smooth. Set the pot over medium heat and cook, stirring often and adjusting the heat if necessary to prevent a simmer, until the sugar has fully dissolved, about 3 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat.

Add the cream and whisk until fully combined. Transfer the mixture to an airtight container and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 6 hours, or for even better texture and flavor, 24 hours. Stir the base back together if it separates during the resting time. The base* can be further stored in
the fridge for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 3 months (be sure to fully thaw the frozen base before using it).

*Makes about three cups

For the almond brittle

1 cup granulated sugar
⅓ cup light corn syrup
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1 inch pieces
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 ¼ cups sliced almonds
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

Combine the sugar, corn syrup, and ¼ cup water in a medium saucepan and stir until all of the sugar looks wet. Set the pan over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the syrup comes to a simmer, about 3 minutes.

Continue to cook, this time covered and without stirring, until the mixture has thickened slightly, about 3 more minutes. Add the butter and salt and stir well. Attach a candy thermometer to the side of the pan and continue to cook, gently and constantly stirring, until the mixture registers 290ºF on the thermometer, 8 to 10 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat, and quickly but thoroughly stir in the almonds, baking soda, and vanilla (watch it all bubble), doing your best to distribute the nuts throughout the sticky mixture. Immediately pour the mixture onto the lined sheet pan and use a butter knife or a metal spatula to spread it out to a relatively even layer that’s just under ¼ inch thick.

Let the brittle* sit uncovered until it has cooled to room temperature, about 1 hour. Then use your hands to break it into irregular bite-size (about ¼-to ½-inch) pieces. Store them in an airtight container in the freezer until you’re ready to use them as a mix-in (or to simply eat them) for up to 3 months. There’s no need to defrost the pieces before using them in the ice cream.

*Makes about three cups

For the salted ganache

⅔ cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 cup chopped chocolate (chip-size), preferably 80% or darker
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Combine the cream and sugar in a medium saucepan, stir well, and bring the mixture to a bare simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Remove the pan from the heat, add the chocolate and salt, and let it sit, stirring and scraping the pan occasionally, until the chocolate begins to melt, about 2 minutes.

Use a sturdy whisk to vigorously stir until the chocolate has completely melted and the mixture becomes smooth and satiny, about 1 minute. Congratulations, you just made ganache!

Transfer the ganache* to an airtight container and store in the freezer for at least 2 hours or up to 1 month. There’s no need to defrost it before using.

*Makes about one cup

Final Steps

Ingredients
3 cups ice cream base (see recipe), very cold
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup Grandma Malek’s Almond Brittle pieces (see recipe)
¾ cup salted ganache (see recipe), cut into small cubes

Put the ice cream base and the vanilla into a bowl and whisk to combine. Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker. Turn on the machine. Churn just until the mixture has the texture of a soft-serve ice cream.

Quickly transfer the ice cream to freezer-friendly containers. Spoon in a layer of ice cream, sprinkle on the almond brittle and salted ganache and use a spoon to press them in gently. Repeat.

Cover with parchment paper, pressing it to the surface of the ice cream so it adheres, then cover with a lid. It’s okay if the parchment hangs over the rim. Store it in the coldest part of your freezer (farthest from the door) until firm, at least 6 hours. It will keep for up to 2 months.