Butter Pecan Ice Cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper. 

2. Separate pecans on the baking sheet. Place 1 1/2 cups of pecans halves on  one half of the baking sheet, and place the 1 cup of chopped pecans on the other half of the baking sheet. (We’ll infuse the cream with the pecan halves, and use the chopped pecans to mix into the ice cream.)

3. Arrange pecans a single layer on prepared baking sheet. Toast until browned and fragrant, about 10 minutes.

4. When the pecans are done, bring the cream for the ice cream base to a simmer.

5. Pour 2 cups of heavy cream, and 1 cup of milk into a sauce pan.  Add toasted pecans and bring to a low simmer.  Remove from heat, and allow pecan flavor to infuse into the cream mixture for an hour, then discard the pecans. 

6. After the pecans have infused in the cream, reheat the cream mixture and whisk in 1 tbsp vanilla extract and 1 cup of brown sugar until dissolved. 

7. Whisk egg yolks in a medium bowl. 

8. Slowly whisk about half of the warm milk mixture into the egg yolks. Whisking constantly to prevent the eggs from curdling. 

9. Pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly until custard begins to thicken.  It should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, and hold a line drawn through with your finger.  ** Do not bring the mixture to a boil, the eggs will curdle.

10. Cool the custard until completely cooled.  Then freeze the custard according to the directions of your ice cream maker. 

11. About halfway through the freezing process in your ice cream maker add chopped pecans.