Chunky Turtle Ice Cream

🧂 Ingredients

• 1.5 cups whole milk, divided
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• ⅔ cup sugar
• 1 ¾ cups heavy cream
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup salted pecans
• 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 1 cup unsalted pecan pieces
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
• ½ teaspoon salt

Instructions

• 1 Fill a large bowl with ice water. (you are going to use it to cool the cooked
  mixture so you have a medium sized bowl that fits inside it, test it out ahead
  of time)
• 2 In a small bowl combine 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of the whole milk with the
  cornstarch, whisk it until smooth, and set aside.
• 3 Measure the sugar into a large, deep saucepan. Place it over medium heat and try
  not to freak out. Trust the process. Now let the edges start to melt, do not
  touch it until that starts to happen, no matter how tempting it is. Cook the
  sugar, stirring frequently and gently, until it starts to brown. You want it to
  turn a nice amber colour. Once it turns amber, quickly and carefully (caramel
  bubbles and acts a fool so don't freak out if it starts to bubble up and make
  some noise) add about ¼ cup (60 ml) of the heavy cream to the saucepan. Remember
  it's going to bubble and spit, so be careful when doing this step. Stir, the
  caramel will harden (and you're going to be thinking you ruined but again, trust
  the process), but it's okay. Add the remaining cream to the saucepan, stirring
  to combine it.
• 4 Now pop the saucepan back over medium heat and add the rest of the whole milk
  (remember you took 2 tablespoons out of it earlier and reserved the rest),
  stirring while it combines. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook for about 3
  minutes, you want the caramelized sugar to dissolve completely.
• 5 Remove from the heat and add the cornstarch mixture you set aside earlier,
  whisking gradually till combined.
• 6 Return to a boil over moderately high heat until the mixture thickens slightly,
  this should take about a minute.
• 7 Pour the mixture into into a medium sized bowl, then whisk in the salt. Place
  that bowl inside the ice water bath and allow it to cool for about 20 or 25
  minutes. Whisk it occasionally as it cools.
• 8 Now cover the bowl and pop it in your fridge for about 4 hours, or overnight.
• 9 The author calls for roasting them in the oven. I actually did mine on the
  stove-top since I was cooking something else in my oven. I'll give you both
  options.
• 10 Option #1- Oven method: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 C). Combine
  ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Toss to coat the pecans. Spread on a rimmed
  cookie sheet evenly and pop in the oven for about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir them
  once during the cook time. They are done when they are toasted and aromatic.
  Your house should smell like heaven at the moment they are done. Remove from
  oven and allow to cool completely before adding to ice cream.
• 11 Option #2- Stove-top method: In a large pan, melt your butter, then toss in the
  pecans, and sprinkle the salt over top. Cook over medium heat for about 5 to 10
  minutes, stirring the pecans until they are toasted and aromatic. Your house
  should smell like heaven at the moment they are done. Remove from the stove-top,
  transfer to a plate and allow them to cool completely before adding them to the
  ice cream.
• 12 Remove the ice cream base from the fridge. Pour into your ice cream maker
  (Please ensure your ice cream bowl has been in the freezer and ready for this
  step! I have two bowls and leave them in my freezer all the time so they are
  ready for any ice cream emergency.)
• 13 Churn the ice cream for about 10 to 15 minutes, depending on your particular ice
  cream maker the time can vary. Most take from about 10 to 20 as a general rule.
• 14 Fold in the pecans and chocolate as the last step.
• 15 Cover your ice cream maker bowl, or attachment (whatever you are freezing the
  ice cream in) with plastic or tinfoil. My method of choice is tinfoil over top,
  then I wrap an elastic around it, makes it super easy to peek in to check on it,
  but also seals the top from any air getting in. Just a trick I learned from
  making way too much ice cream.
• 16 Allow your ice cream to set up in the freezer for at least 4 hours, preferably
  overnight.
• 17 Serve with a big old "turtle" loving smile.

Nutrition Info