Vanilla ice cream with caramelized nuts

The day you dare to make ice cream at home you will wonder how it is possible for it to be so easy. Today, one of my favorites: vanilla ice cream with caramelized walnuts (yes, like the ice cream that you surely know from Häagen-Dazs®, you can do it with Macadamia nuts if you prefer, although once caramelized you will see that it is with walnuts or walnuts of Macadamia the result is just as wonderful).

To make this ice cream, I use the KitchenAid ice cream maker . If you prefer to make larger quantities, then I recommend you double the amount of ingredients directly and use a large-capacity ice cream maker with a compressor, such as the Magimix ice cream maker (queen of ice cream makers in France) or Ariete's Gran Gelato .

I love making ice cream, and I think vanilla is a smooth flavor that any guest in the house will like. With the flavor of caramelized walnuts, very easy to make, the truth is that it looks great with everyone.

KitchenAid ice cream maker, Le Creuset mini cocottes and WMF ice cream scoop

Ingredients

For the vanilla ice cream:

• 380g whole milk
• 2.5 tsp vanilla extract
• 145g sugar
• 5 egg yolks M
• 1 pinch of salt
• 400 ml cream 35% mg

For the caramelized walnuts:

• 2 large handfuls of walnuts*
• 4 generous tablespoons of sugar

*If you prefer, use chopped macadamia nuts to make the classic and popular vanilla ice cream and Macadamia nuts from the well-known Häagen-Dazs® brand. Or use hazelnuts! Caramelized and with vanilla ice cream they are also delicious.

Preparation

For the caramelized walnuts:

1. In a pan, put the walnuts and the sugar, heat it over low heat and let the sugar dissolve. When it starts to melt, handle the pan so that the nuts rotate and are impregnated with the sugar. You will see that it is a process of very few minutes. At the end, you can use a wooden spoon to finish stirring the nuts and make sure they are well soaked in the caramel. Reserve in an airtight container.

Note: The mixture that you will make to make the ice cream has to rest one day for the next. If you want to make the caramelized walnuts the same day that you butter the ice cream, you can do it, but a little earlier, because when you add them to the ice cream they must be warm, never hot.

Skillet Le Creuset frying pan and Chef de Pallarès knife

For the ice cream:

1. In a saucepan, heat the milk, gently until it boils. For the fire, mix and remove the layer of cream if it has done so. Apply the vanilla extract. Let the milk infuse and lose heat.
2. Separate the whites and yolks of the eggs, with the help of a white separator . You will require only the yolks.
3. Separately, in a bowl, mix the egg yolks with the sugar and a pinch of salt.
4. Add the mixture to the milk when it has already lost its temperature (you can have it between 50 and 70º, what you want to avoid is that the yolks curdle with the heat). Don't stop stirring.
5. Add the whipping cream, mix well and leave in the fridge until the next day.
6. When you go to prepare the ice cream, remove the KitchenAid ice cream maker from the freezer and mount it on the robot. Turn on the robot and introduce the mixture at low speed. Let him work, butter the ice cream.
7. When you see that the ice cream has already achieved the right consistency and with the robot still running, add the caramelized nuts that you have prepared. Leave another minute or two for them to spread evenly throughout the ice cream and for the robot.
8. Remove the ice cream and put it in an airtight glass container suitable for the freezer (I highly recommend those from EMSA ). The ice cream has frozen correctly and without ice particles, but now it should gain consistency: leave it in the freezer for at least 3 hours.

When it comes to serving, nothing like a spoon in the purest Italian style to serve it. Also on the subject of glasses and bowls. You have to see everything we have to serve ice cream! here .