Pralines and Cream Custard Ice Cream
My favorite ice cream is an egg custard base, because it's creamy and rich and perfect! It takes a bit more effort than omitting the eggs but I am more than willing to do that. One of my favorite flavors, from a local ice cream chain is "Pralines and Cream". It's a rich vanilla ice cream, with swirls of caramel and chunks of pralines. I finally decided to see if I could replicate it at home, by making my fool-proof egg custard vanilla ice cream. Wow! I don't have to buy it any longer, because I made it from scratch.
Servings 8
Calories 474kcal
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 cups half-and-half cream
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 4 egg yolks
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup caramel sauce I used salted caramel sauce
- 1 cup praline pecans roughly chopped
Instructions
- Prepare a large bowl with ice and nest a bowl inside. Set a wire mesh strainer (to catch bits of cooked egg).
- In a large saucepan, heat half-and-half cream to 175°; stir in sugar and salt until dissolved.
- Whisk a small amount of the hot mixture into the eggs. Return all to the pan, whisking constantly. Cook over low heat until mixture is just thick enough to coat a metal spoon and a thermometer reads at least 160°, stirring constantly. Do not allow to boil. Remove from heat immediately.
- Quickly transfer the custard into the mesh strainer and into the bowl; place bowl in the large bowl of ice water. Stir gently and occasionally for 2 minutes.
- Stir in cream, and vanilla extract. Press plastic wrap onto surface of custard. Refrigerate several hours or overnight.
- Fill cylinder of ice cream freezer; freeze according to the manufacturer’s directions.
- Once the ice cream is finished churning, transfer half of the ice cream to an freezer container (allowing extra room for expansion) and pour in half of the caramel and half the pralines. Repeat. Gently swirl with knife to distribute the caramel and pralines.
- Transfer ice cream to freezer containers, . Freeze 2-4 hours or until firm.
Notes
Items you will need: Food thermometer, wire mesh strainer, large bowls, whisk, ice cream maker
This is my basic fool-proof vanilla custard ice cream. You can adapt this recipe to any of your favorite flavors. I use this to make my peppermint stick ice cream.
You can easily buy store-bought pralines, but I have an easy and fool-proof recipe here. (Just leave out the cinnamon for a more authentic taste.)