Recipe: Peanut Butter Ice Cream

So Creamy!

If you're already making home-made ice cream, you know how easy it is. If you're not, perhaps this recipe will be the inspiration you need. Once you get the hang of making the custard-base (aka creme anglaise), making ice cream at home just takes a few minutes to throw together. Makes about a 2 pints.

2 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
3⁄4 cup sugar
5 large egg yolks
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter* (natural or not, however you roll)
2 tsp. vanilla paste or extract
Optional: 1/4 cup salted peanuts, chopped fine, plus more for garnish*

1. Heat 1 cup cream and milk in a small saucepan over medium heat until just hot (aka scalding; don't let it boil). Meanwhile, whisk sugar and eggs together in a medium bowl until thoroughly combined, about 1 minute of vigorous whisking.

2. Turn off heat and gradually whisk hot milk/cream into egg mixture, then return to saucepan. Place on medium-low heat and cook (it's a custard now), stirring constantly with a flat wooden spatula or silicon spatula, making sure you get in to the corners, until it is has the consistency of Kefir or buttermilk (or say melted ice cream) and coats the back of whatever your stirring this with, about 5 minutes. If you start to see chunks of egg, take pan off the heat and whisk thoroughly and continue. Remove saucepan from heat and strain custard into a medium size bowl. Whisk in 1⁄2 cup of  peanut butter and vanilla.  Place custard bowl in a larger one with about one tray of ice cubes and approximately 2 cups of water. Stir occassionlly until custard is cold. Alternately, cover with plastic and refrigerate until cold. Once cold, whisk thoroughly one last time before continuing with the next step.

3. Process mixture in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions, adding the optional 1⁄4 cup chopped nuts to the ice cream right before it's finished - don't let it mix more than a few seconds. If you prefer, you can fold nuts in by hand - scoop out ice cream, place in a large bowl, and fold nuts in quickly and thoroughly. Transfer ice cream to a bowl and serve now (see note) or put ice cream in an air-tight container and freeze until hard. Garnish with chopped nuts, shaved chocolate or chocolate sauce, if desired.

*Note: If you like smooth ice creams, leave out the nuts. If you prefer some crunch then by all means, use the optional nuts. You can't go wrong either way - just don't add them during the churning process, but during the last few seconds or the ice cream will have an undesirable texture. You can always just garnish the ice cream with the nuts too!