This recipe makes a full--very full--two quarts of ice cream. I churned mine all at once in my 2 quart churn and it rose up a bit above the dasher. If your maker is any smaller than mine, churn half at a time or maybe cut down the amounts by 1/4.
14oz2 slightly scant cups brown sugar (I used demerara)
4egg yolks
1Tablespooncorn starch
16oz2 cups cold buttermilk (I actually used 11 oz buttermilk because that was all I had. I made up the difference with sour cream. You can do that too, if you want. It's delicious)
2teaspoonsvanilla extract(I used vanilla paste)
½teaspoonmaple extract(optional but helps to tie everything together)
For the Nuts (Which you can make the day before or leave out if you hate nuts)
4oz1 cup pecan halves or pieces (you're going to chop them up anyway)
5.5oz1/2 cup real maple syrup
½oz1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
¼teaspoonkosher salt
1teaspooncinnamon
¼teaspoonsmoked paprika(optional but delicious)
For the Maple Caramel (which you can also make the day before, or not. Or just pour it on top once you serve)
6ozmaple syrup(about 2/3 cup)
3ozheavy cream plus 1 more oz heavy cream for later if necessary
pinchof salt
tiny splash of vanilla
¼" pat of butter(about 1 teaspoon, more or less)
Instructions
For the Ice Cream Base
Combine the half and half, salt, brown sugar, yolks and corn starch in a large pot.
Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking frequently at first and then constantly as it heats up.
Let the mixture boil for about ten seconds, and then strain through a fine mesh strainer into a large metal bowl.
Add the cold buttermilk (and sour cream, if using) along with the extracts. Whisk well to combine completely.
Chill in an ice bath, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reaches close to 40F (41 or 42 is fine. If you're not churning until the next day, just get it down to 50-ish and you'll be fine).
Cover the base with some plastic wrap and let it finish chilling in the fridge for another hour (or overnight). Strain through a fine mesh strainer again before churning.
Churn according to the manufacturer's instructions.
For the Nuts
Combine all the ingredients in a heavy skillet and cook over medium heat until the maple syrup is very thick and gets stringy when you stir. The nuts should be sticking together, and when you smear a bit of the syrup onto a Silpat, it should harden up and be crunchy.
When the nuts are finished, spread them out in a single layer on Silpat to cool off. Should the candy still be a little soft, you can bake them in a 325F for 10 minutes. That will take care of it.
Cool the nuts and chop them into good mix-in sized pieces, whatever that means to you.
For the Caramel
In a pot that's much larger than you think you will need, bring the syrup to a boil. The syrup will boil up most impressively, so watch it.
Let boil over medium heat until the temperature reaches 310F. The syrup will be very thick and gloopy and will have reduced by half or so. It will smell nutty and delicious.
Carefully pour in the heavy cream. It will bubble up again. Stir it over low heat until any caramel that may have hardened is dissolved and the sauce is smooth.
Add the salt and butter and then cook until the sauce reaches about 225F. This does not have to be exact, so don't be sad. I wouldn't take it any higher than 230F, though.
Pour the sauce into a heatproof container of some sort and stir in the vanilla. Cool to room temperature and refrigerate if not using immediately.
If for some reason you mixture seems too thick or stodgy or has gotten a bit grainy, add the extra ounce of cream and stir over medium heat until the mixture is pourable and smooth.
To Assemble the Ice Cream
Once the base is at soft serve consistency, evenly fold in the nuts.
Spoon 1/3 of the sauce (there's not much, so drizzle it all around) into the bottom of your ice cream container.
Spread 1/2 of the ice cream on top of the sauce.
Drizzle on another third of the sauce and top with the remainder of the ice cream.
Finish it off by drizzling on the rest of the sauce.
Press plastic wrap down on top of the ice cream, put a lid on (if you have one for your container, and freeze until firm, about 4-5 hours. Some of the sauce will stick to the plastic, but it doesn't freeze and you'll be able to scrape it off and back onto the ice cream where it belongs.