Bourbon Caramel & Pecan Ice Cream

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Time to get back to Bourbon, the July Flavor of the Month. We know how well Bourbon goes with caramel after the amazing wings from last week.  Once I made that caramel, I knew right away it needed to be in an ice cream.  Pecan and bourbon just sounded right so this trio came to mind.

I used a similar base for this ice cream as the Cherry Lime one I made last week, so let’s get to it!

Whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until it’s pale yellow. In a medium sized saucepan, heat the milk and vanilla until it just bubbles.  Next temper the eggs by whisking in about a cup of the hot milk.

Lastly, whisk the tempered eggs back into the remaining hot milk and cook over medium heat.

Cook until the mixture has thickened and is 170°, you’ll know it’s thick enough if it coats the back of a spoon or spatula.  Take it off the heat and pour it though a fine mesh strainer (just in case some of the egg scrambled). Then add your Bourbon and heavy cream.

Mix until everything is combined.  Cover the cream base and let it chill in the fridge.  It needs to be cold before you can churn it later. 🙂

You may remember this caramel from the wings I shared on Saturday. Start by cooking the sugar in a small pot over medium heat until it’s melted and turned an amber brownish color. Remember, when cooking sugar for caramel is not the time to step away.  I probably already said this in the wings post, but it cannot be stressed enough,  As the sugar starts to brown it can go from perfect to horrible in no time at all.  I also use a whisk to stir it around occasionally as the sugar starts to clump.  I find that a whisk works best for this because you also press on any larger clumps forming to get them to melt.

Now you want to gently whisk in the butter, making it smooth. The mixture will bubble a bit, so be careful.

Once the butter is completely melted, take the caramel off the heat and whisk in the cream, salt and Bourbon.  Let that sit to cool.

Now you’ll toast the pecans.  Toasting nuts can be so great in recipes like this, it enhances the flavor and helps prevent them from getting soggy in the ice cream.  Put the pecans in a pan large enough so they’re all in one layer.

Heat them slowly over medium heat, stirring every once in awhile, until they start to brown and are fragrant.

Pour the pecans into the caramel and stir it all together.  Let the mixture chill in the fridge.

Ok, we’re getting close!  Take the ice cream base you made earlier out of the fridge and pour it into your ice cream maker to churn.

Once it’s the thickness you want, pour half into a freezer-safe bowl and swirl in half of the caramel. Repeat this process with the rest of the ice cream and caramel and gently stir to evenly distribute.

Stick in the freezer at least 2 hours to firm up.

Scoop and enjoy!

 

Adding Bourbon to the ice cream and the caramel gives you that lovely rich sweet flavor in each bite!  The rich caramel and crunchy pecans make this ice cream purely addictive!