We all have those certain foods that feed more than our physical hunger; they comfort and sooth us and make us feel satisfied on a deep level. I realize that is a bit warped, but it is the honest truth. Ice cream is my vice of choice. I adore the creamy texture, eating first around the rim as it softens, and then working in to the middle goodness. I love crunchy additions, like toasted pecans or heath bar pieces. Having done my share of scientific research (think tasting), I am a connoisseur of many brands and flavors. However, nothing can top the lusciousness of home churned ice cream.
Thirty-four years ago, we received a hand crank ice cream churn as a wedding present. Eager to use it, we invited friends over for dinner, and made vanilla ice cream for dessert. I don't remember which recipe I used, but the end product had little gelatinous pieces throughout, like we had stirred in a whole batch of contact lenses. If this happened to me now, I would crack a joke about the dessert being "seeing eyes cream", but as a new bride, I was mortified. To this day, I am gun shy of recipes with a cooked custard base, and much prefer ones with a simple, heavy cream base.
One of my summer culinary goals was to scout out wonderful ice cream recipes for my Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker. I love this modern invention! You keep the bowl of this contraption in the freezer, and with the turn of a switch, it is always ready to churn a batch of the cold, creamy stuff, without the layers of salt and ice. Now that it is the first day of October, I have an amazing recipe to share with you. I searched on line, but ended up back with one of the original recipes on the booklet that came with my Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker. This recipe has seven ingredients, which we all know means perfection. Don't let its simplicity fool you. The texture is so rich and smooth, you could bathe in it. And the pecans toasted in butter and coarse sea salt are like diamonds unearthed from the mines of South Africa. Here is how it is made:
Butter Pecan Ice Cream
2 Tbsp. butter
1 c. pecans, roughly chopped
1 tsp. coarse sea salt
1 c. whole milk
3/4 c. sugar
2 c. heavy whipping cream
2 tsp. vanilla
In a non stick skillet, melt the butter over low heat. Add the pecans and the salt, and roast for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Watch these carefully, because they can go from perfect to burnt in a few seconds. Remove from heat and strain to get rid of excess butter. Pour the nuts out onto a plate to cool.
In a large bowl, whisk the sugar and whole milk together until the sugar is dissolved. Add the heavy cream and vanilla and whisk to combine. Cover and place the mixture in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight. Turn the ice cream maker on and add the chilled ingredients. With my Cuisinart, it took 27 minutes of churning to reach that perfect consistency: firm enough to hold shape on a spoon, but not overchurned like butter. Five minutes before the churning is done, or 22 minutes into the churning, add the nuts. This ice cream is now screaming to be eaten, but you certainly can delay the pleasure and store it in an airtight container in the freezer.
The recipe makes five cups of ice cream. The base, without the nuts, will become my new "go to" vanilla recipe.
Toasted pecans definitely place this ice cream in the autumnal dessert category.
I never need to be told to eat all my ice cream.