Monday, July 18, 2011

Butter Pecan Ice Cream



From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Such a lovely word. Amarcord. I remember....two little girls, sans shoes, sitting cross legged on a porch watching cream and sugar miraculously transform from a liquid to solid state. It was our first test of the new machine their grandfather had bought for them. They had just packed it with rock salt and were waiting to see if it really could turn the ingredients they had mixed into soft ice cream. Convinced their presence was necessary to the success of the operation, they claimed their seats and planned to see the process through to its conclusion, sure in the knowledge that if watched pots never boil, they surely then must freeze. Fortunately, that first batch was perfect and, thereafter, every time their grandpa Andy would visit, they'd make ice cream together. It was usually plain vanilla, but every so often it was gussied up to please the gourmet tastes that ran rampant in the family at that time. Things like strawberries or cherries were added with wild abandon and, on special occasions, pecans and brown sugar, Andy's favorites, were thrown into the pot. I often wonder how he would react to the amazing cream combinations that are available today. He was a purist and treasured the old ways, so I suspect he'd mumble about letting things be and insist on making his favorite butter pecan ice cream the way he always had. Today's recipe is very similar to the one used all those years ago. Some of you are old enough to remember the large amount of cream used in the vintage recipes. Nowadays, the use of that much cream would be considered attempted murder, so, I've cut way back on the amount of it used in the mix. The other ingredients have pretty much remained constant. This is a lovely ice cream, and, if one of your favorite flavors is butter pecan, I hope you'll give it a try. Here's the recipe.

Butter Pecan Ice Cream...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Farm Journal

Instructions:
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 tablespoon butter
1-1/2 cups half-and-half cream
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1) Melt butter in a small skillet set over medium heat. Add pecans and toast until lightly brown, about 6 to 8 minutes. Cool.
2) Heat half-and-half in a large heavy saucepan set over medium heat until it reaches a temperature of 175 degrees F. Add brown sugar and stir until dissolved.
3) Whisk a small amount of hot cream mixture into eggs. Add egg mixture to pan, stirring constantly. Cook and stir over low heat until mixture reaches at least 160 degrees F and coats a metal spoon. Remove from heat. Cool quickly by placing pan in a bowl of ice water; stir for 2 minutes. Stir in whipping cream and vanilla. Press plastic wrap onto the surface of custard. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Stir in toasted pecans.
4) Fill cylinder of ice cream freezer two-thirds full. Freeze according to the manufacturer's directions. Refrigerate remaining mixture until ready to freeze. Allow to ripen in ice cream freezer or firm up in the refrigerator freezer for 2-4 hours before serving. Yield: 1 quart.









One Year Ago Today: Coconut Bubble Tea


















Two Years Ago Today: Pink Lemonade










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66 comments :

Gloria Baker said...

Mary this Ice cream look absolutely delicious!! have a nice day, gloria

That Girl said...

My dad was the ice cream maker in our family. It was like magic. When I was little, he'd put the rock salt and Ice in coffee cans and then the ingredients inside and have us roll and shake it till ice cream was formed

Priyanka said...

Hi Mary......Lovely ice-cream, although m not allowed to have it m so tempted :)
Have a great day ahead

Kath said...

Oh. My. Butter Pecan is my all-time favorite flavor of ice cream. I am bookmarking this one. Thanks, Mary!

T.W. Barritt at Culinary Types said...

I can picture it all, Mary. In fact, it sounds very similar to my first experience with churned ice cream, which happened in a favorite relative's car port so many years ago. As an aside, I recently sampled Tillamook Ice Cream and was completely smitten by "Grandma's Cake Batter," speaking of decadent flavors.

Heather S-G said...

Well, as a matter of fact, Butter Pecan IS one of my favorite flavors. Thank you for this lovely recipe :D

Karen (Back Road Journal) said...

Mary, I too remember ice cream the old fashioned way...usually peach or strawberry. My all time favorite if I buy some is butter pecan.

Jenna Lee said...

I would love some of this right now! I have such a sweet tooth! Yumm!

lena said...

irresistible! sounds too good!!

Suman Singh said...

I've never tried this flavor of ice cream before..it looks absolutely delicious..love the recipe..thanks!

From the Kitchen said...

I think if you are going to eat ice cream it should be ice "cream"! Butter Pecan was my mother's favorite. Such "sweet" memories your recipe brings me this morning. And, with a dome of hot air sitting over the midwest, it's quite appropriate.

Hope you are keeping cool.

Best,
Bonnie

kitty@ Kitty's Kozy Kitchen said...

My husband's favorite ice cream happens to be buttered pecan! I need to make this for him soon. Thanks, Mary, for sharing.

Julie said...

Butter Pecan is my husband's favorite ice cream. I will be giving this one a try! Also, I see the bubble tea from a previous year. That's on my Top 100 to make, bookmarking that one as well. Have a great day!

Young Adventures... said...

Oh Mary that sounds divine! I need to run out and pick up some half and half.

Sprigs of Rosemary said...

I'm sure I could handle this just fine, especially on a steamer like today. Butter pecan happens to be my mother's favorite but she was never so lucky as to have it homemade. A beautiful memory you shared with us. Well told.

The Harried Cook said...

What a beautiful memory, Mary! And what an beautiful ice cream... Butter pecan is a favorite in my family, and this recipe would make them (and me) very, very happy! Thanks for sharing :)

Anonymous said...

What a lovely post! The ice cream looks SO delicious - wish I could have some now!
Mary :)

Anonymous said...

This is on my list of ice cream "must try"!

Diane said...

Oh wow, I just love ice cream and pecans so the two together have to be superb. I am off to the kitchen to make this right now. Diane

Martha said...

DeeeLICious!!My Dad's fav and I love it too!

Susan..... said...

And here I thought half-and-half would cause crystals to form. This looks delicious. I will use the base custard to make a Banana ice cream this week. An inspiration to a newby ice cream maker.

Tinny said...

Questo gelato è una meraviglia! Le noci pecan sono ottime. Un abbraccio.

Reshmi Mahesh said...

Absolutely delicious looking ice cream...
I would love to make them for my kid, Can egg be replaced with something else and still manage to get that texture?

Lynn said...

Butter Pecan Ice Cream sounds great! I haven't had some in years:@)

Joanne said...

I experimented with my first homemade ice cream this past week and now I can't wait to try more! This flavor is definitely being added to the list!

Deana Sidney said...

I have so many fond memories of butter pecan ice cream... lovely stuff.

Ms. Bake-it said...

Yum! Butter Pecan is one of my favorite ice cream flavors! I really need to get an ice cream maker!

~ Tracy

Lenia said...

Never had this kind of ice cream!But your picture has convinced me to try it!

Velva said...

Lately, I have been thinking about butter pecan ice cream. I heard recently on a news program that Americans have 3 favorite flavors of ice cream....Vanilla, chocolate and butter pecan.

Cheers.
Velva

Melinda said...

This is a big need in weather like we are having. Yum!

Have a good one.

Melinda

Jocie's Mom said...

I think death by creamy ice cream is the way to go!

Awesome dish :)

Maris (In Good Taste) said...

You have just made me go to the freezer for ice cream and it will not be anywhere near as good as this!

FABBY'S LIVING said...

OMG!, you beat me to the visit, I so wanted that ice-cream! Thanks for the recipe and many thanks for visiting my blog, I'm honored... I love cooking, so I've been to yours and I'm also one of your many followers from a while back. Keep visiting, as I'll be thrilled! Lots of hugs, FABBY

Unknown said...

Butter pecan is my favorite flavor of ice cream that I don't eat anymore. Might have to remedy that.

Kim said...

Clearly one of my favorite ice cream. So creamy, so tasty, a burst of flavors. Have a good day Mary!

Jennifer said...

That looks sooo good, I havent made ice cream yet this summer, although I am sure you are sick of the rain toooo!

D said...

Mary, how did you know that butter pecan was my favorite, with coconut as a close second. I'm printing this out now for a later treat. We haven't made ice cream in years. Thanks. PS: the sun is shining

Susan said...

One of my absolute favorites, Mary! I will definitely have to try this & create some memories of my own! Have a lovely week!

Ryan said...

Wow, homemade butter pecan ice cream! That sounds heavenly!! I've only ever had the store bought kind but love the idea of making my own! I'm trying this soon!!

JG said...

It's a humid evening and just looking at the three creamy scoops of tempting ice cream makes everything better. :)
~Judy

Kim said...

My husband's favorite flavor of ice cream is butter pecan. I will be making this recipe for him! Thanks :)

Katarina said...

What a delicious ice cream, looks great! Have a great day!

Cassie | Bake Your Day said...

Thanks for stopping by my blog, I love yours and visit it often and for recipes like this! Butter pecan ice cream is my favorite, thanks for the great recipe!

Swathi said...

Butter pecan ice cream looks so good.

A Bitchin' Kitchen said...

This looks fabulous! Butter pecan is one of my favorite flavors.

- Maggie

Pondside said...

My daughter makes the ice cream in our house. I just know she'd make this one for me!

GLENDA CHILDERS said...

Such a wonderful tradition . . . making ice cream with grandpa.

Fondly,
Glenda

Anonymous said...

what a lovely memory! A friend of ours was tasked with making an old fashioned ice cream maker, but I think today's ones are much easier to use :)

kitchen flavours said...

Your ice cream looks delicious, Mary!
Perfect any time of the day! Thanks for sharing. Have a nice day!

Yasmin said...

This sounds yummy! I have always wanted to make my own ice-cream!

Cheers,
Yas
www.tickle-your-tastebuds.blogspot.com

Lora said...

One of my favorite ice creams ever and the flavor also brings back childhood memories. It was my grandmother's favorite. This looks amazing.

Terri @ that's some good cookin' said...

Mmmm. Sigh. Wishing I had some of that.

Tanna said...

This post brings back memories of sitting by while Dad churned away at the crank... with a towel laid over the top... and rock salt poured over the ice... waiting... waiting for that perfect treat! Summertime... Thank you for the stroll down memory lane along with you, Mary. blessings ~ tanna

Renee Paj said...

MMMM...butter pecan one of my favorites! and I can take or leave ice cream...but the sweet and salty combo is so good. ( I would use salted and roasted pecans! lol )

Unknown said...

Love the story, Mary! And the ice cream too, of course! I remember going to my grandma's and making ice cream...she had one of those old crank ice cream makers. My sister and my cousins and I would make a game out of it, see how many cranks you could get, the person with the most got to have the first bowl of ice cream!! :)

Karen Harris said...

This is my mother's absolute favorite flavor and your post made me think of her. I love making ice cream but this year it was not meant to be with the mechanical failure of my Krups ice cream maker. Not even the fabulous Mr. H could fix it so I'll have to live vicariously through you and your wonderful recipe. Now, I guess I go call my mom. Thanks for the inspiration Mary!

Banana Wonder said...

Mmmm you got me itching for some butter pecan now! Love those vintage recipes :-)

June said...

There's not much better than homemade ice cream, especially one with pecans. Can't wait to try this Mary!

Biren @ Roti n Rice said...

This ice cream sounds so good! So glad we have the convenience of the electric ice cream maker these days :)

Carol @ There's Always Thyme to Cook said...

One of my favorite flavors and so perfect for this hot summer weather. Wish I had a bowl of two scoops right now!

Gen said...

Yummy! Delicious for summer, fresh and tasty!

SavoringTime in the Kitchen said...

Butter pecan is my favorite flavor of all! This looks great. I really need to get my ice cream maker out of hibernation.

scrambledhenfruit said...

I remember sitting on the back steps of our house, watching while my dad churned his traditional pineapple ice cream. We were in charge of chipping and adding the ice and rock salt- I wonder if kids these days would be allowed to wield an ice pick! I love butter pecan ice cream too, and it really sounds good to me right now! :)

Hazel - Chicken in a Cherry Sauce said...

Possibly the greatest ice cream flavour in the world.

Cooking Creation said...

Yum! My favorite ice cream flavor and I must try this! I've been away from blogging for a while and am thoroughly enjoying catching up on your recipes! :)

Chats the Comfy Cook said...

I made strawberry ice cream, last night and planned to make another flavor today. Butter Pecan used to be, my husband's favorite. If the still feels that way, I am going to make this. There is nothing like homemade ice cream.

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