Buttered Pecan Butterscotch Ice Cream

Pecans and brown sugar has got to be my favourite flavour combo ever. I don't often make ice cream. Not out of laziness, but because you can buy some wonderful ones already, but the downside of shop bought ice cream is that they come in a limited supply of flavours (the flavour selection is ever expanding, but there's nothing like creating your own unique flavour yourself). Now I've said that however, if you love Haagen Daz's Pralines and Cream, then you will adore this. 




I think this is the ice cream you'd get at Heaven's ice cream parlour, served to you by angels. 

It's mega rich and dreamy, studded with crunchy caramelized pecans and has a treacly molasses flavour running through it making it simply irresistible. 

"It's too cold for ice cream!" I hear you cry. Well I beg to differ. In my opinion, ice cream is great all year round, and in the colder months it's the perfect accompaniment for warming cosy puddings like sticky toffee pudding and apple pie. 

Give it a go, it's totally worth the effort.

Buttered Pecan Ice Cream 

From Poires Au Chocolat

Ingredients:

For the butterscotch base: 
70g/2 1/2 oz unsalted butter
170g/6oz dark brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
300ml extra thick double cream
380ml whole milk 
6 egg yolks
1/2 tsp vanilla extract 

For the buttered pecans:
25g/1oz unsalted butter
150g/5oz pecan halves
1/4 tsp sea salt

1. Pour 250ml of the double cream into a big bowl and set a sieve over the top. Prepare an ice bath in a bowl (or at least a sink in which you can pour very cold water). Melt the butter in a big saucepan. Add the dark brown sugar and the salt and whisk until smooth. Whisk in the remaining 50ml double cream and the milk. Warm over a medium heat. Whisk the egg yolks together in a small bowl. 

2. When the milk and sugar mixture is hot, pour a small amount into the eggs while you keep whisking. Pop the egg mixture back into the pan and heat until it thickens to a custard that coats the back of a spoon.

3. Pour through the sieve into the bowl with the remaining cream. Cool by placing the bowl into the ice bowl/cold water, being careful not to let any water get into the mixture. When at room temperature, cover with cling film and refrigerate for at least four hours or overnight.

4. Preheat oven to 175C/350F/Gas Mark 4. Melt the butter in a small saucepan. When melted remove from the heat and toss the pecans, stirring so they are totally covered. Sprinkle the salt over the top and stir again. Spread the pecans out on a baking tray. Place in the oven and bake for 10-12 mins, stirring once in the middle (really watch out as I sadly overtoasted my pecans, very easily done indeed!). Take out and cool before chopping into small pieces. 

5. At this point you can either make life easier for yourself by putting this into an ice cream churning machine and leaving it to churn according to your machines instructions, or do it the old fashioned way like I did. 

What I did was popped it into a tub and merely whisked it a twice after a couple of hours freezing so that it was smooth and not grainy with ice crystals. When it's half frozen, add the pecans in. 

Allow to freeze completely and take out whenever you fancy a scoop!