Rachel Allen’s butter pecan ice cream recipe

Rachel Allen’s butter pecan ice cream recipe, This is a classic North American dish, using two quintessentially American ingredients, maple syrup and pecans – both native to the area and used so much in their cooking. The pecans are toasted, and then tossed in butter to absorb its fabulous rich flavour. Cook's tip: A quick idea; make the buttered pecans and mix with the maple syrup, then spoon over good quality vanilla ice cream.

INGREDIENTS

150 grams pecans, roughly chopped
3 table spoons butter
2 items pinches salt
225 millilitres milk
100 millilitres double cream
3 items egg yolks
1 table spoons light brown sugar
5 table spoons maple syrup

PREPARATION

1Preheat the oven to 180’C, fan oven 160°C, Gas Mark 4.

2Place pecans on a tray and in to the oven. Cook for 5-8 minutes until fragrant and a little darker. Remove from the oven, then add the butter and one pinch of salt and toss until the butter is melted. Set aside until the pecans are completely cool, they will absorb the butter.

3Next place the milk and the cream in a saucepan and heat up until the liquid just begins to steam.
4Meanwhile whisk the egg yolks and the light brown sugar in a bowl until slightly pale and light in colour. Pour the hot milk and cream onto the egg yolks, whisking all the time, then transfer back in to the saucepan and cook over a very low heat, stirring constantly until the mixture coats the back of a spoon. Keep the heat low, otherwise the mixture will scramble. You might need to remove it from the heat briefly from time to time, it should not boil.

5Once the mixture coats the back of a spoon, whisk in the maple syrup and salt. Then transfer into a wide bowl to cool it down as quickly as possible, before churning it in your ice cream machine. When the ice cream is almost set, add in the pecans. Transfer into a freezer container and store, covered, in the freezer for up to 2 months.