The
question is often asked, "Why make your own ice cream when you can
simply buy
it?". Good question, and I will admit that today you can buy very high quality
ice creams that taste wonderful. The problem is that they are very
expensive, and you do not get to choose your flavor combinations. Take
this Maple Pecan Ice Cream, where we combine two native American ingredients, maple syrup from the
North and pecans from the South. It is pure delight as the pure maple syrup gives it a
flavor that Diana Henry best describes in her book 'Roast Figs Sugar Snow'
"reminiscent of burnt sugar and fudge". And the toasted pecans
provide a lovely
buttery caramel flavor
.
Pure maple syrup is a beautiful reddish-brown aromatic liquid
that has a distinctive rich and sweet nutty flavor produced from the sap
of maple trees grown in Canada and the Northeast United States. It is
used, along with granulated white sugar, to sweeten and flavor the custard
base for this ice cream. Once the ice cream has been churned, we add toasted and crushed pecans.
Pecans not only provide a nice soft texture to the ice cream, but their
buttery flavor is excellent with the sweet flavor of maple
syrup. Although pecans are grown in a few other parts of the world,
they are mainly grown in the Southern United States where the climatic
conditions of hot summer days and nights are ideal. If you cannot
find pecans, an excellent alternative would be toasted and crushed
walnuts.
Maple Pecan Ice Cream: In a small
saucepan, over medium-high heat, bring the half-and-half and the maple
syrup to the scalding point (the milk begins to foam up). Remove
from heat.
Meanwhile in a
stainless steel bowl beat the egg yolks and sugar until light and fluffy
(about two minutes). You can do this with a wire whisk or I like
to use a hand mixer. Gradually pour the scalding
half-and-half mixture into the whipped egg yolk mixture, making sure you keep
whisking constantly so the eggs don't curdle. If any lumps do
form, strain the mixture before heating.
Place the bowl
over a saucepan of simmering water and, stirring constantly with a
wooden spoon, cook until the custard thickens enough that it coats the
back of a spoon (170 degrees F) (77 degrees C). The term 'coat a
spoon' is a technique used mainly as a way to
test when an egg-based custard or sauce is done. A spoon, usually
wooden, is placed in the custard and, when the spoon is raised, the film
of custard on the back of the spoon will stay in place even when you
draw a line with your finger through the middle of the custard.
Immediately
remove the custard from the heat and stir in the heavy cream. Cover and let cool to room temperature and then refrigerate the custard until it is completely
cold (several hours but preferably overnight).
Transfer the
cold custard to your ice cream machine and
process according to the manufacturer's instructions. Once made,
stir in the toasted and crushed pecans and transfer the ice cream to a chilled container and store in the freezer.
If the ice cream becomes too hard place in the refrigerator for about
30 minutes before serving so it can soften.
Note: To
toast pecans, preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Place
pecans on a baking sheet and bake for about 8 minutes or until the
pecans are fragrant and lightly browned. Cool. Place the
pecans in a sealed plastic freezer bag and use a rolling pin to crush
the pecans.
Makes about 3 cups.
Recipe adapted
from: Friberg, Bo.
The Professional Pastry Chef (Third Edition). New York: Van Nostrand
Reinhold, 1996.
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