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By Root 175 0

eat out-of-hand—better to bake into cakes or churn into ice creams like this one. Since they’re harvested by hand, black walnuts tend to be expensive (expect to pay up to $15 per pound). But a little goes a long way: a 1-pound bag would make about four batches of this ice cream. Most candy and nut stores carry them, but if there’s not one in your area, try an Internet source such as boiledpeanuts.com or Hammons Products.

1 cup whole milk

½ cup sorghum syrup or maple syrup

2 large egg yolks

2 cups cold heavy cream

¼ teaspoon pure almond extract

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

½ cup black walnuts, chopped

1 Pour the milk into a small saucepan set over medium heat, and whisk in the sorghum syrup. Beat the egg yolks in a large bowl. When the milk mixture reaches 150°F, pour it into the eggs in a thin stream, whisking constantly until the liquids are completely combined. Return the mixture to the pan and heat it over low heat, stirring, until the custard just coats the back of a spoon, or a candy thermometer reaches 175°F, 3 to 4 minutes.

2 Remove the pan from the heat and add the heavy cream, almond extract, and salt. Let cool to room temperature. Then transfer the custard to the refrigerator and chill until it is very cold, 4 hours or overnight.

3 Pour the custard into an ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions until the ice cream begins to become stiff and hold its shape (depending on how cold your custard is and the type of ice cream maker you are using, this will take 15 to 30 minutes). Add the walnuts slowly as it churns, and continue to churn until the nuts are distributed evenly throughout, about 5 minutes. Transfer the ice cream to a container with a tight-fitting lid and pat a sheet of plastic wrap directly over the surface. Cover the container and freeze the ice cream until it has hardened, at least 2 hours. (It will keep for up to 1 month.)

4 Remove the ice cream from the freezer 10 minutes before serving.

BOURBON VANILLA ICE CREAM

makes 1½ pints; serves 6 • TIME: 20 minutes cooking, about 4 hours refrigeration, 15 to 30 minutes churning, 2 hours freezing

As much as we love bourbon—the barrel-aged whiskey made from corn (in combination with barley, rye, or wheat)—we love this ice cream even more. Something mysterious and wonderful happens when you concentrate the South’s greatest spirit and marry it with cream. The process rounds out bourbon’s rangy edges and ushers in a constellation of appealing nuances: caramel, smoked nuts, butterscotch, sweet corn, brown butter.

1 cup Kentucky bourbon or Tennessee whiskey

⅓ cup sugar

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 cups heavy cream

4 large egg yolks

1 cup cold whole milk

1 Pour the bourbon into a saucepan, bring it to a boil over medium-high heat, and add the sugar and salt. Stir until the sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes. Continue to boil over medium heat until the liquid is reduced by one fourth, about 6 minutes.

2 Add the vanilla and cream to the pan and heat over medium heat until a candy thermometer reads 150°F, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat the egg yolks in a large bowl, and pour the bourbon cream into the eggs in a thin stream, whisking constantly until the liquids are completely combined. Return the mixture to the pan and heat over low heat, stirring, until the custard just coats the back of a spoon, or a candy thermometer reaches 175°F, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the milk. Transfer the ice cream base to a pitcher or other container and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight, until it is very cold.

3 Pour the chilled bourbon custard into an ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions. The ice cream should be the consistency of a very thick milkshake (depending on how cold your custard is and the type of ice cream maker you are using, this will take 15 to 30 minutes). Transfer the ice cream to a container with a tight-fitting lid, and pat a sheet of plastic wrap directly over the surface. Cover the container and freeze the ice cream until it has hardened, at