Butter Pecan Ice Cream

I chose this ice cream to make for my reading club.  It was a big hit!   There is just something about Butter Pecan Ice Cream that make it great.    I think it is the rich flavor of the toasted pecans that are then mixed with butter and salt.  Or it could be the brown sugar and heavy cream.   I had to make it twice because a lot of it got eaten before my meeting.  I’m not saying who ate it, but it was eaten quickly!  Writing  that it is very good would be an understatement.  It is so rich and creamy and the toasted pecans,  good gracious who doesn’t love them?    It does have a few steps, but it is well worth it.  I will say it is easier than my other favorite chocolate that I absolutely love.  One bit of advice though,  make sure that you have some good quality pecans.  They are not in season until November so anything that you buy now is last year’s crop.   The ones  you buy from the grocery store are probably not going to be the best quality.    Buy from a reputable dealer that stores their pecans frozen.  They will last indefinitely. Clean them from any of the debris between the meaty part of the nut.  It is bitter and even a small bit can ruin a good recipe.

After reading lots of reviews for many Butter Pecan recipes chose one from Gourmet Magazine.   I’m so glad that I did.  This is decadent and I am not lying.     Really the only  time-consuming  step is waiting for the milk and cream to boil and the custard to reach 175.  The rest is a piece of cake.  So come on let’s get started!

Whisk together brown sugar and cornstarch.

Add 4 eggs.

Heat milk and cream just to boiling.

Add the hot milk to the egg mixture very slowly.  Don’t scramble the eggs.

Put mixture back into saucepan and heat to 175 degrees.

Pour custard through fine-mesh sieve into a bowl and stir in vanilla.   Make sure that you pour the custard through a sieve.  I thought that I was very careful not to add the hot mixture too quickly and cook the eggs, but there were lumps.  This step will make your ice cream very creamy and smooth.   Chill custard for 3 hours.  Follow directions for ice cream maker for churning the ice cream.  When ice cream is firm transfer to an airtight container and stir in pecans.  Place in the freezer.

This is soooo good!

Butter Pecan Ice Cream From Gourmet November 2002

Yield 1 quart

• 2 cups pecans, coarsely chopped
• 3 tablespoons butter, unsalted, softened
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 4 large eggs
• 2 cups whole milk
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Toast pecans in a shallow baking pan in middle of oven until fragrant and a shade darker.  I did these twice using different pans.  One pan took 20 minutes and the darker pan took 12 minutes.  Check every so often.  These nuts will burn easily and there is no going back.  They will be bitter and you will not be able to use them.  They will ruin your ice cream.  So be careful.
3. Add butter and salt to hot pecans and toss until butter is melted, then cool completely.  They will absorb the butter.  I did this in a small dish.
4. Whisk together brown sugar and cornstarch, then add eggs, whisking until combined in a large bowl.
5. In a heavy 4 quart saucepan bring milk and heavy cream just to a boil over moderately high heat.
6. I needed an extra hand for this next step!
7. While whisking the egg mixture constantly, add the hot milk mixture to the egg mixture in a stream.  You cannot add it all at once or you will have a bowl of scrambled eggs.  Add a little at the time.
8. Pour the custard back into the saucepan.
9. cook the custard over moderately low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until thick enough to coat back of spoon and register 170- 175 degrees on a thermometer.  DO NOT let the mixture boil)
10. Immediately pour custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl and stir in vanilla, then cool, stirring occasionally.
11. Chill custard, its surface covered with wax paper, until cold, at least 3 hours.
12. Follow directions for your ice cream maker until almost firm.   Stir in pecans, then transfer to an airtight container and put in the freezer to harden.
13. Enjoy!

The Teacher Cooks

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