Brown Butter Pecan Ice Cream

Instructions

1. Chop pecans roughly and toast them in a dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant and lightly golden, about 3-4 minutes. Set aside.
2. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and cook, stirring often, until it turns golden brown and smells nutty, 4-6 minutes. Immediately remove from heat and pour into a heatproof bowl to cool slightly.
3. In a medium saucepan, combine heavy cream, whole milk, and half the sugar. Heat over medium until just steaming, about 5-6 minutes.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk egg yolks with the remaining sugar until smooth and pale.
5. Slowly pour about 1/3 of the hot cream mixture into the yolks while whisking constantly to temper the eggs.
6. Return the tempered yolk mixture to the saucepan with the remaining cream mixture. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until custard thickens and coats the back of a spoon, reaching 170-175°F (77-79°C), about 3-5 minutes.
7. Remove from heat and strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl.
8. Whisk in the brown butter, toasted pecans, vanilla extract, and salt until fully incorporated.
9. Cover the custard with plastic wrap directly on its surface and chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours until completely cold.
10. Churn the chilled custard in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions until thick and creamy, about 20-30 minutes.
11. Transfer the ice cream to a freezer-safe container and freeze until firm, about 4 hours, before serving.