Butterscotch-Pecan Ice Cream

Name: Butterscotch-Pecan Ice Cream
Yield: makes about 1 quart (1 liter)
Ingredients: 6 tablespoons (75 g) granulated sugar; 3/4 cup (170 g) packed dark brown sugar; 4 tablespoons (2 ounces/60g) unsalted or salted butter, cut into pieces; 1/2 cup (125 ml) plus 1 1/2 cups (375 ml) heavy cream; 3/4 cup (180 ml) half-and-half or whole milk; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 6 large egg yolks; 1 1/2 cups (150 g) pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped

December 9, 2011

My parents were pretty strict with desserts. I wasn’t completely deprived, but sweets were few and far between. (I’ve since made up for lost time.) One treat they did keep on hand was a bag of store-bought pecan shortbreads, which were quite thick, had a sandy texture, and seemed a bit more sophisticated and “adult” than most other supermarket snacks. Whenever these cookies were in the house, I ate as many as I could and left a seriously plundered bag for my parents to discover. Times have changed and I’m sure the quantity of pecans in those cookies has dwindled since the good ol’ days. Now that I’m all grown up, I can enjoy pecans in any way I choose, and that doesn’t mean just pecan shortbread, but also this rich pecan-studded ice cream.

Cooks' Note

Before preparing this recipe, see Caramelization Guidelines, page 265.

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