Vanilla Custard Ice Cream with Pine Nut Brittle

This recipe has a large number of egg yolks which makes the flavor much richer and deeper and leaves a powerful and distinct custard flavor. It is important when you cook custard based ice creams to be very careful when heating the eggs. Anything too hot will curdle the yolks leaving you with a nasty mess, while being too timid with the heat will leave you with a limp, skimpy base. You want your custard to thickly coat a wooden spoon and turn a lovely light yellow color (ideally at about 175F). To finish the ice cream I added a good quantity of chopped pine nut brittle to balance the creamy texture and give the ice cream a lovely caramel flavored crunch.

Vanilla Custard Ice Cream with Pine Nut Brittle (makes 1.5 quarts)

For the Ice Cream

2.5 cups whole milk, the fresher the better
1.5 cups heavy cream
1 vanilla bean, split in half
10 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt

In a large bowl whisk the sugar and eggs yolks by hand until pale yellow and fluffy.

In a heavy sauce pan combine the milk, cream and salt. Carefully scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and add to the mixture. Toss in the bean. Bring the mixture to a simmer, whisking constantly.

Turn the heat down and remove the vanilla bean. Slowly add portions of the hot milk to the egg mixture, whisking the entire time. Be sure not to add the milk too quickly. Return the mixture to the stove, whisking constantly. Slowly allow the custard to cook, coming to 175F, so that it thickly coats a wooden spoon. Remove from heat and allow the mixture to cool

For the Pine Nut Brittle

1 1/3 cups sugar
2 tbsp butter
1/2 cup pine nuts

Place a large piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Set aside

In a small sauce pan melt the butter and sugar. Allow to cook on low until the mixture begins to caramelize and darken. Pour the pine nuts into the mixture and quickly pour out onto the parchment paper. Pour the caramel onto the parchment paper and smooth out with a spatula. Allow to harden and then break into small pieces.

When the custard is cool pour it into the ice cream maker and process according to instructions. As it begins to thicken add the chopped pine nut brittle, setting a small amount aside to top with later. Put mixture into a freezer safe container and freeze.