Butter Pecan Ice Cream with Caramel Sauce

Here is the dessert I promised you.


Homemade butter pecan ice cream perched on top of a blondie made by my sister, Piggie. Mmmm.  Piggie, you really know how to do blondies. So chewy and buttery. Someday I will tell you about them. But that day is not this day. Today it's all about the ice cream. I mean, it doesn't get any better than a big buttery, crunchy, creamy scoop of nutty goodness.

Oh wait...

...it just got better.

My brother, Tay, took the picture. I told him specifically to hold it perfectly straight while I drizzled on the caramel. See what a nice job he did?

Guys, this is the best caramel I have ever made. I've finally perfected it after all these years. Please make it. Please love it. Please feed it to your friends so you can all cry together in the fitting rooms at the mall next weekend. Cause that's what friends are for, right?


Butter Pecan Ice Cream

1 cup unsalted butter
2 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream
8 egg yolks
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup pecans
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon butter

Brown the butter on medium heat. Cook down, swirling occasionally. Be careful not to burn it. It's done when it smells nutty and wonderful and is nice and brown.
Let the butter cool. Add the cream and milk and return to medium low heat. Cook until simmering.
Meanwhile beat the sugar, egg yolks, and salt until pale and thickened (maybe about five minutes).
Slowly add half of the warmed cream/milk/butter mixture into the eggs. Then add the egg mixture into the rest of the cream mixture on the stove and stir to combine. Put it back on medium low heat. Keep stirring it, making sure to scrape the corners so that no eggs get stuck there and end up clumping up. It's done when it's about 170 degrees or until it's thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. If it's thick enough, you should be able to run your finger along the back of the spoon and the trail should stay there.
Refrigerate until cold. Meanwhile, toast the nuts on the stove with the 1/4 cup sugar and tablespoon of butter. Cook on medium heat stirring constantly until all the sugar is melted. Then pour them on a greased sheet of parchment paper so they can cool.
When the ice cream is cold, freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's directions.Then stir in the nuts and freeze until time to eat, unless you like it soft serve. If that's the case, then did right in.

Caramel Sauce

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup heavy cream

In a medium sauce pan, combine the sugar and syrup. Cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally with a rubber spatula. Once it is a nice reddish brown color (like in the pictures), add the butter and stir until the bubbles die down. Add the cream and stir until it's all dissolved. Bring it back to the heat if you get clumps and stir it until they're dissolved.
I keep it in the fridge and warm it up when I want it.

Now, if you need me, I'll be chilling at the beach all weekend.