Apple Crisp Ice Cream

for the Apples

1. Combine brown sugar, butter, flour, and cinnamon in a small mixing bowl. Add in apples and briefly mix to coat. Place in an oven-safe dish, cover with foil, and bake in a preheated 400°F oven for 30-40 minutes, until apples are fork tender. Let cool completely, then puree in a food processor. Refrigerate until ready to churn ice cream. Can be made up to 3 days in advance.

for the Oat Crisp Topping

1. Combine all ingredients using your hand in a small mixing bowl until coarse crumbs form. If mixture is too wet, add a little bit of flour. Spread out crumbs in a single layer on an aluminum foil lined baking sheet and bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven, break apart any big crumbs and give it a quick stir, and return to oven for about 7 minutes more, until the crumbs are golden brown. The crumbs will still feel soft but will harden as they cool. Once cooled, oat crisp can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.

for the Custard Base

1. In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine 1 cup of the heavy cream, whole milk, sugar, cinnamon stick, and a pinch of Kosher salt. Halve vanilla bean and scrape the seeds into the milk mixture and add the bean as well. Bring mixture to a scald (just under when it starts to bubble), stirring occasionally, being careful to not curdle the cream. Remove pan from heat, cover, and let mixture steep for about 30 minutes.
2. Towards the end of that 30 minutes, in a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks.
3. Remove the vanilla bean and cinnamon stick from the cream mixture. Slowly add the cream mixture into the bowl with the egg yolks, whisking constantly to avoid eggs from scrambling. Once eggs are fully incorporated, pour mixture back into the saucepan.
4. Cook custard over medium/medium low heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens to a consistency that coats the back of a spoon. When you run your finger across the spoon, it should leave a definite trail. If using a thermometer (which I always do), aim for 170°F-175°F.
5. Meanwhile, add remaining ¾ cup of heavy cream and vanilla extract to a large bowl with a mesh strainer set on top. Strain the ice cream mixture into the bowl and stir. Immediately place bowl over an ice bath, stirring constantly to cool the mixture quickly.
6. Refrigerate ice cream base until very cold, preferably at least 1 day and up to 3 days.
7. When ready to churn your ice cream, combine the pureed apple mixture with your custard base. Pour ice cream custard into an ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer's directions. During the last few minutes of churning, add ¾ of the crisp topping. Once churning is completed, either serve immediately (it will be the consistency of soft serve) or transfer ice cream to a container and freeze until ready to serve.
8. *Ice cream will freeze pretty hard, so plan on thawing it a bit before serving.
9. Scoop ice cream into bowls and top with caramel sauce (store-bought or make your own) and a few bits of the oat crisp topping.