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Prep time
8 hours
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Cook time
35 minutes
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makes
1 quart
Author Notes
One of my all-time favorite restaurants in New York (and really the world) is Superiority Burger. The vegetarian-vegan fast-casual spot is known for their burgers, sandwiches, and a rotating cast of hyper-seasonal sides—but real fans know that their gelatos (and vegan sorbets!) can’t be missed. The flavors change weekly, sometimes daily, based on what’s available at the farmers markets—and in the cooks’ wildest imagination. Owner Brooks Headley has a reputation for pushing the norms for what a dessert can look like, often using savory kitchen scraps. One of the greatest examples of this is Superiority Burger’s tortilla gelato, which they bring into rotation every so often. This is an ode to the flavor of that gelato, using my go-to no-churn ice cream base—for those of us who live a bit too far from the restaurant to pop over for dessert.
Toast salted, but not flavored, corn tortilla chips (I recommend using “restaurant-style” chips, especially the Mi Niña brand, but Tostitos will work, too) to bring out the corn’s nuttiness, then soak them in heavy cream. Whip that toasty corn-infused cream until stiff, then fold it into a no-churn ice cream base (sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, and salt). Since no-churn ice cream lacks gelato’s stretchy chewiness, I added a super-simple tortilla chip brittle mix-in (or topping) for textural contrast and an extra-salty crunch. The resulting product is nearly irresistible, the kind of sweet-and-savory nirvana that will have you going back for bite after bite. Hot tip: this is also a great way to use up leftover or stale tortilla chips.
—Courtney Kassel
Ingredients
- No-Churn Tortilla Ice Cream
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90 grams
(roughly 2 cups, but will vary based on brand) salted corn tortilla chips
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3 cups
(681 grams) heavy cream
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1 cup
(312 grams) sweetened condensed milk
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1/2 teaspoon
vanilla extract
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1/2 teaspoon
salt
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Tortilla Chip Crunch, for serving
- Tortilla Chip Crunch
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90 grams
(roughly 2 cups, but will vary based on brand) salted corn tortilla chips
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1/2 cup
(106 grams) dark brown sugar
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4 tablespoons
(½ stick, 56 grams) unsalted butter
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Flaky sea salt
Directions
- No-Churn Tortilla Ice Cream
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Heat the oven (or toaster oven) to 350°F. Spread out the tortilla chips on a half sheet pan and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until they smell toasted and look slightly darker but not browned. Set aside to cool.
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Place the cooled toasted chips and cream in a medium-size bowl or quart container. Lightly press down the chips with a spoon to make sure they’re all covered by cream, trying to keep the chips intact as much as possible. Cover and place in the fridge to steep for at least 2 hours or overnight.
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Place a fine-mesh sieve or a large piece of cheesecloth over a large bowl. Remove the cream mixture from the fridge and pass the cream through the fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth to remove all the chip solids (discard the solids after pressing out all the cream). It should yield between 1¼ and 1¾ cups of infused cream. If your soak yields less, supplement with additional plain heavy cream. Using a hand or stand mixer on medium-high speed or a whisk, whip the cream until stiff peaks form. You should have about 1½ to 2 cups of whipped cream.
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In a large bowl, combine the sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, salt, and about 1 cup of the tortilla whipped cream. Run the mixer on low (or whisk) to beat until just combined. Using a spatula, fold the remainder of the tortilla-infused whipped cream into the condensed milk mixture.
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Transfer the mixture to an unlined loaf pan and cover with aluminum foil or a reusable cover. Place in the freezer to set, at least 6 hours. If you want to use the tortilla chip crunch as a mix-in, stir in after 2 hours of freezing. Serve directly from the freezer, no thawing required. If not using the crunch as a mix-in, use it to top the ice cream (along with a sprinkle of flaky salt, if you’d like). Store the leftover ice cream in the loaf pan, tightly covered to avoid freezer burn, or transfer to a lidded quart container. It’s best eaten within 1 month of making it (if it somehow lasts that long!)
- Tortilla Chip Crunch
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Heat the oven (or toaster oven) to 350°F.
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Line a half sheet pan or plate with a silicone mat or greased aluminum foil. Arrange the tortilla chips on the sheet pan with as little overlap as possible.
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In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the brown sugar and butter. When the butter is melted and starts to foam, turn the heat down to low and continue to cook, stirring constantly until the sugar is dissolved, the butter is no longer separated, and mixture is thickened, about 3 to 5 more minutes. Immediately pour or spoon the hot sugar mixture over the tortilla chips. Shower with a generous amount of flaky salt.
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Bake for about 5 to 6 minutes, until the chips smell toasted. Allow to cool completely before using your hands or the back of a wooden spoon to crush the chips to your desired chunk size (I like about ½-inch chunks.) Mix into or use to top the ice cream as directed in Step 5. Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
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