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| Salted Caramel Pecan Crunch Ice Cream |
Yes, I know the summer is over and it's now fall but you wouldn't know it in Southern California. It is still warm enough to have an excuse to make ice cream! Salted caramel has become popular but it also is considered a fall flavor. Salted caramel ice cream? Now that's a California kind of fall.
This ice cream hits all notes with the sweetness of the caramel and a touch of fleur de sel. The perfect crunchiness of the candied pecans add the right amount of texture. Serve it in a homemade ice cream cone and you just can't get enough.
Therapeutic topic of the week:
Can TV make you fat? It obvious that if you're sitting around all day watching television that you're not getting exercise and using energy. But did you ever think that certain commercials make you eat unconsciously? John Bargh, an expert in priming behaviors recently studied the effects of junk food commercials. One study observed the effects of children watching a cartoon and adults watching a comedy. They either saw commercials with junk food or non-food products. The adults rated various foods after watching the show while the children had various snack foods available to eat while they watched.
The results showed that both children and adults ate more if they watched the junk food commercials. Fascinatingly, they did not eat the food advertised in the commercial! The advertisements primed eating, not necessarily what food was being advertised. When the adults asked why they were eating, they simply report it was because they were hungry. They didn't know that they had just been primed to eat. The scary part is people were eating without knowing that the advertisements were causing them to eat. Yikes!
So what does this mean? Turn off your TV! Or at least record it so you can forward the commercials.
Therapeutic topic of the week:
Can TV make you fat? It obvious that if you're sitting around all day watching television that you're not getting exercise and using energy. But did you ever think that certain commercials make you eat unconsciously? John Bargh, an expert in priming behaviors recently studied the effects of junk food commercials. One study observed the effects of children watching a cartoon and adults watching a comedy. They either saw commercials with junk food or non-food products. The adults rated various foods after watching the show while the children had various snack foods available to eat while they watched.
The results showed that both children and adults ate more if they watched the junk food commercials. Fascinatingly, they did not eat the food advertised in the commercial! The advertisements primed eating, not necessarily what food was being advertised. When the adults asked why they were eating, they simply report it was because they were hungry. They didn't know that they had just been primed to eat. The scary part is people were eating without knowing that the advertisements were causing them to eat. Yikes!
So what does this mean? Turn off your TV! Or at least record it so you can forward the commercials.
Salted Caramel Pecan Crunch Ice Cream Recipe
Ingredients:
Ice cream custard:
2 cups whole milk, divided
1½ cups cane sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup heavy cream
5 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pecan praline:
1 egg white1 Tbsp water
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 oz pecans - about 2 cups
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Directions:
To make the ice cream, make an ice bath by filling a large bowl about a third full with ice cubes and adding a cup or so of water so they’re floating. Nest a smaller metal bowl (at least 2 quarts/liters) over the ice, pour 1 cup of the milk into the inner bowl, and rest a mesh strainer on top of it.
Spread 1½ cups sugar in the saucepan in an even layer. Heat the sugar over moderate heat until the edges begin to melt. Use a heatproof utensil to gently stir the liquefied sugar from the bottom and edges towards the center, stirring, until all the sugar is dissolved. (Or most of it—there may be some lumps, which will melt later.) Continue to cook stirring infrequently until the caramel starts smoking and begins to smell like it’s just about to burn.
Once caramelized, remove from heat and stir in the butter and salt, until butter is melted, then gradually whisk in the cream, stirring as you go. The caramel may harden and seize, but return it to the heat and continue to stir over low heat until any hard caramel is melted. Stir in 1 cup of the milk.
Whisk the yolks in a small bowl and gradually pour some of the warm caramel mixture over the yolks, stirring constantly. Scrape the warmed yolks back into the saucepan and cook the custard using a heatproof utensil, stirring constantly (scraping the bottom as you stir) until the mixture thickens. If using an instant-read thermometer, it should read 160-170 F.
Pour the custard through the strainer into the milk set over the ice bath, add the vanilla, then stir frequently until the mixture is cooled down. Refrigerate at least 8 hours or until thoroughly chilled.Freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Spread 1½ cups sugar in the saucepan in an even layer. Heat the sugar over moderate heat until the edges begin to melt. Use a heatproof utensil to gently stir the liquefied sugar from the bottom and edges towards the center, stirring, until all the sugar is dissolved. (Or most of it—there may be some lumps, which will melt later.) Continue to cook stirring infrequently until the caramel starts smoking and begins to smell like it’s just about to burn.
Once caramelized, remove from heat and stir in the butter and salt, until butter is melted, then gradually whisk in the cream, stirring as you go. The caramel may harden and seize, but return it to the heat and continue to stir over low heat until any hard caramel is melted. Stir in 1 cup of the milk.
Whisk the yolks in a small bowl and gradually pour some of the warm caramel mixture over the yolks, stirring constantly. Scrape the warmed yolks back into the saucepan and cook the custard using a heatproof utensil, stirring constantly (scraping the bottom as you stir) until the mixture thickens. If using an instant-read thermometer, it should read 160-170 F.
Pour the custard through the strainer into the milk set over the ice bath, add the vanilla, then stir frequently until the mixture is cooled down. Refrigerate at least 8 hours or until thoroughly chilled.Freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Make the pecans. Preheat oven to 300°F. Put sugar, cinnamon, salt, ground cloves, and ground nutmeg in a plastic bag, shake to mix. Put egg, water, and vanilla in a bowl. Beat until slightly foamy, add pecans and coat well. Lift pecans out of bowl with a slotted spoon and put into the bag of sugar and spices. Shake pecans in bag making sure they are well coated. Bake 30 minutes on a baking pan lined with silpat or lightly greased aluminum foil. 15 minutes into the baking, stir up the pecans with a fork. Let cool completely.
While the ice cream is churning, chop pecans into small pieces. Once your caramel ice cream is churned, quickly stir in the pecans, then chill in the freezer until firm.
While the ice cream is churning, chop pecans into small pieces. Once your caramel ice cream is churned, quickly stir in the pecans, then chill in the freezer until firm.
Ice cream slightly adapted from David Lebovitz
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