Maple Walnut Ice Cream
User Reviews
4
Maple Walnut Ice Cream
Description
Maple Walnut Ice Cream starts by carefully toasting walnut halves in a dry skillet to enhance their aroma and flavor without burning. After cooling, the walnuts are chopped and mixed later into the ice cream. Maple syrup is simmered and reduced by half to concentrate its sweetness and flavor, then combined with heavy cream, whole milk, and salt. This mixture is gently warmed and gradually whisked into beaten egg yolks to form a custard base. The custard is cooked until thickened without boiling, then strained to remove any solids and refrigerated to chill thoroughly.
Once chilled, the custard is churned in an ice cream machine to incorporate air and achieve creamy texture. Toasted walnuts are added before the final stages of churning, providing crunch and warm, nutty notes balanced by the maple sweetness throughout the frozen dessert.
Using pure maple syrup is essential to maintain the intended deep flavor profile. The ice cream delivers a smooth consistency with distinct maple sweetness and textured, toasted walnut pieces for a satisfying contrast.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups walnut halves
- 3/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 3/4 cups heavy cream
- 1 1/4 cups milk whole
- 5 egg beaten, large yolks
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Put the walnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat and toast them while stirring almost constantly, for about 5 minutes, or until they are fragrant and turning golden. Watch them carefully because once the oils in the nuts heat up they can burn very fast. Set aside to cool, and then chop.
- Put the maple syrup in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. let simmer until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 8-10 minutes. The syrup will boil up initially, so stay by the pan.
- Add the cream, milk, and salt to the pan, and stir.
- Drizzle a cup of the warm cream mixture into the egg yolks, while whisking constantly. Add another cup, and then return it all to the saucepan and continue to cook over medium heat, stirring almost constantly, until the mixture thickens. Do not let it boil.
- Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl and cover with plastic. Refrigerate until completely chilled, or over overnight.
- Process the chilled mixture according to your ice cream machine's instructions. Add the walnuts in during the last few minutes of processing.
- Spread the soft ice cream in a loaf pan or container, cover tightly, and put in the freezer until firm, 6-8 hours, or overnight.
Notes
- Toasting the walnuts before adding them enhances the nutty flavor significantly.
- Use pure maple syrup rather than imitation syrup for authentic maple taste.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4
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