maple pecan ice cream

ice cream is one of those things that i can never cheap out on. i can't go to the frozen foods isle and buy the 5$ a gallon bucket. but i can't quite justify spending my hard earned cash on the really good stuff either. (so i buy the really good stuff anyway and don't think about it!) 

home made ice cream tastes like heaven and its a million time better then anything you could ever buy and every single flavor is in stock. today i made maple pecan. well, i have made the custard - its in the fridge chilling. then when i got home from work tomorrow night, i'll pull the freezing cylinder out of the freezer, add the chopped pecans, churn for about 15 minutes, and let the flavors dance on my tongue. 

i still haven't figured out if i'm going to praline the pecans or not yet...i guess i have time to think about it :) 

Maple Pecan Ice Cream

2 cups milk
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2/3 cup + 2 tablespoons cold, heavy cream
6 egg yolks
2/3  cup maple syrup, the darker the better
2 good pinches sea salt
1 1/2 cups pecans, coarsely chopped

Heat the milk and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat.

Beat the egg yolks lightly in a second, heatproof medium bowl.  

When the milk mixture is warm enough that you see steam rising from the surface, pour it, in batches, very slowly into the yolks, whisking it in to prevent the yolks from cooking. Pour the whole thing back into the saucepan and cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon and scraping the sides and bottom well, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of the spoon (i.e. if you draw your finger across the back of the spoon, it should leave a neat path).

Pour cream into larger bowl, add maple syrup.  Pour in custard and mix to combine. Add salt.  If you want, pour custard through a seive, to remove any possible lumpy egg bits.  

Pour mixture into an quart jar and leave in the fridge over night. This will make the freezing process a million times easier, and the waiting will make it all the more enjoyable! :) 

Churn in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer's instructions, adding the pecans when the ice cream is almost set. (if you've chilled it over-night, you'll want to add the pecans right away as it will take no time at all to set). 

playlist:

one evening - feist

need somebody tonight - john hiatt