Ultimate Cook Book_ 900 New Recipes, Thousands of Ideas - Bruce Weinstein [421]
Or when the frozen custard comes out of the machine and is placed in a storage container, layer it with 1 cup purchased chocolate sauce, caramel sauce, or marshmallow cream sauce, spreading one of these sauces in three or four thin layers between the layers of frozen custard in the container.
Butter Pecan Frozen Custard
Butter pecan remains America’s third favorite ice cream flavor, just behind vanilla and chocolate. Makes 1½ quarts
1¾ cups pecan pieces
4 large egg yolks, at room temperature
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 cup whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt
Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake the pecan pieces on a large lipped baking sheet until lightly browned and aromatic, about 5 minutes, stirring a few times. Set aside.
Whisk the egg yolks in a large bowl until creamy, about 1 minute. Set aside.
Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Swirl the pan occasionally until the butter browns slightly, then stir in both sugars until melted.
Whisk in the milk, then bring to a gentle simmer, just a few bubbles, stirring often.
Whisk half the hot milk mixture into the egg yolks in a slow, steady stream until smooth; then whisk this combined mixture back into the remaining milk mixture in the pan.
Set the pan over low heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon, about 2 minutes.
Strain through a fine-mesh sieve or a colander lined with cheesecloth and into a clean, large bowl to remove any bits of egg that have scrambled by accident. Cool for 10 minutes, then stir in the cream, vanilla, and salt until smooth. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. A little over halfway through the freezing process, as the custard starts to firm up, add the toasted nuts and let them get churned into the machine. Serve at once—or spoon into a large container, seal well, and store in the coldest part of the freezer (in the back on the floor) for up to 3 days.
Strawberry Frozen Custard
Thawed, frozen strawberries make an easy puree. Makes 1½ quarts
Two 10-ounce bags frozen strawberries, thawed
¼ teaspoon salt
1¼ cups whole milk (do not use low-fat or fat-free)
4 large egg yolks, at room temperature
½ cup sugar
1¼ cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Place the thawed strawberries and salt in a large blender or in a food processor fitted with the chopping blade. Blend or process until smooth. Set aside.
Heat the milk in a large saucepan over medium heat until a few wisps of steam rise off its surface, but not until it simmers in any way. Reduce the heat to keep the milk this hot.
Beat the eggs and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until thick and pale yellow, until ribbons can fall off the turned-off beaters and lie on top of the mixture without instantly dissolving back into it, about 4 minutes.
Beating at medium speed all the while, add half the hot milk to the egg mixture in a slow, steady stream. Continue beating until smooth, about 30 seconds.
Remove the pan from the heat and pour this combined mixture back into the hot milk, stirring with a wooden spoon. (Be careful of the electrical cord around the heating element.)
Reduce the heat to low and place the saucepan back over the heat. (If you’re working on an electric stove,