Butter Pecan Ice Cream

This is my first ever Ice Cream recipe it was a real hardship having to make it over and over again until I got it right. After all the pizza recipes I figured I had to give you the perfect way to cleanse your pizza palate.

Butter Pecan Ice Cream

In a heavy sauce pan add 2 1/4 cups heavy cream and 1 1/2 cups whole milk and bring just to a boil. The minute it starts to boil turn the heat off.

While the milk/cream mixture is heating up, place 6 egg yolks and 1 cup light brown sugar in a bowl and whisk until the mixture looks like a thick mayonnaise (I use a standing mixer with the whisk attachment and mix it for about 3 minutes).
Very slowly add the warm milk mixture to the egg sugar mixture, once fully incorporated return the mixture to the sauce pan over medium low heat until it reaches 160 on a candy or instant read thermometer, stirring constantly. Add 1 Tablespoon of good quality amber rum.

Pour through a fine sieve into a bowl and let cool to room temperature. Cover and place into the fridge until completely chilled 4 hours or overnight. (In truth often if I decide in the morning I want to have ice cream at dinner I place this mixture into my freezer, stirring every 10 minutes and in about 45 minutes it completely chilled. I'm sure this breeches some culinary etiquette but, it works for me and saves you having to wait. Just make sure you stir it often).

Place the chilled mixture into what ever ice cream maker you have and process accordingly.

While your ice cream maker is working, toast 2 cups of pecans in a 350F preheated oven for about 12 minutes, until just lightly toasted, scoop into a bowl while still warm and add 3 Tablespoons of room temperature unsalted butter and a generous 1/4 teaspoon of fleur de sel.

Stir with a wooden spoon until the butter is completely melted. Let sit for about 10 minutes, then roughly chop and place back into the bowl. Don't over process the pecans! The joy of this ice cream is biting into a buttery, salty, pecan!

When the ice cream has finished in your machine slowly stir in the Pecans in 1/2 cup increments.
Place in the freezer until the ice cream hard firmed up, anywhere from 2-4 hours.

This to me is a perfect summer dessert cool, sweet and salty. Perfectly elegant served in a nice bowl just as it is.

If, however, you wanted to gild the lily I think serving pecan shortbread, caramel sauce and unsweetened whip cream with this makes for a killer sundae, lay all the components out on the table and let your guest make their own.