Maple Caramelized Walnuts in Maple Ice Cream

Maple walnut ice cream has always been a part of my family.  Not only is it my dad's all time favorite, but also brings up nostalgic feelings.  I remember birthday's, so long ago, when I would wake up to warm, homemade waffles with melting maple walnut ice cream on the top.  The heat of the waffle and the chill of the ice cream was a wonderful combination, yum.  OK, so enough of the walk down memory road.  All I'm trying to say is, maple walnut ice cream is a freakin' good ice cream!

So, like I do, I tired something new and mixed it up a bit.  I caramelized the walnuts and tried a custard base for the first time.  It takes longer and it is a lot harder to make, but oooooohhh boy was it worth it!

Maple Custard Base

1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups 2% milk
4 egg yolks (save the whites for your roommate so she can make an egg white omelet)
1 cup Grade A Maple Syrup (reduced to 3/4 cup)
      *every review I read said to use Grade B (richer, darker) but I couldn't find any
1/4 teaspoon salt
thermometer

Simmer Maple Syrup on medium heat until it is reduced to 3/4 cup and put aside.  Make sure you watch the pot so it doesn't overflow (may have had a bad accident...I blame Facebook!).

Prepare an ice bath.  Fill a bowl with two trays of ice and some water.  Put a slightly smaller bowl inside that bowl.  The water and ice should come up the sides a bit.

Put cream and milk in a large saucepan and heat over medium heat.
While the milk mixture is heating, separate eggs into a bowl and beat yolks until pale yellow (3-4 minutes).

Once the milk and cream have started to steam, add the syrup and salt, stir well.  Heat and stir the mixture until thermometer indicates 175 degrees.  Remove saucepan from the heat.

Take a shot glass amount of the mixture and slowly pour it into the yolks, stir continuously and vigorously.  Pour egg yolks into the cream/milk slowly while stirring continuously.  Place saucepan back over medium heat and continue to stir until thermometer indicates 180 degrees.  Immediately remove it from the stove and pour into the bowl in the ice bath.

Stir custard until it is room temperature.

Pour through a mesh net (if you have one, I didn't so I just used a strainer).  Strain into a new, clean bowl.  Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.  Place in the freezer for 5 minutes before putting into the ice cream machine.  Freeze in machine for about 25 minutes.

Caramelized Toasted Walnuts

heaping 1/2 cup of raw walnuts
tablespoon butter
about a tablespoon maple syrup

Toast the walnuts under a broiler for about 5-10 minutes.  Heat maple syrup and butter over low heat.  Coarsely chop nuts.  Throw them into the maple syrup.  Stir until nuts are coated and crusted with maple syrup mixture (about 5-8 minutes).

Add nuts to ice cream machine a couple minutes before ice cream is done freezing.

Next time:

  I thought it was a little too sweet (but I'm kinda a sissy when it comes to sweet).  Next time I will reduce the amount of maple syrup and put in caramelized walnuts or not caramelize the nuts.

  The custard base was well worth the work.  Next time I will try more recipes with the custard base and not be so scared of the work involved.

I also found these great freezer cups.  They are easy to close and are a serving size (if you are me!).