Colonial molasses pecan ice cream
Instructions:
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This is a very fluffy mixture to begin with, and when kept in a deep freeze, will still retain a scoopable texture. Molasses adds a caramel, rather than a bitter, flavor to this old Colonial favorite.
- 3⁄4 cup chopped pecans;
- 1⁄4 cup butter;
- 6 eggs, separated;
- 1 cup superfine sugar;
- 2⁄3 cup light or dark molasses;
- 1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla;
- 2 cups heavy cream.
- Preheat oven to 300 F. Place the pecans and butter on a cookie sheet and bake 10 minutes. On the cookie sheet, stir the nuts and butter together to mix; return to oven for another 10 to 20 minutes, until toasted. Remove from oven and let cool.
- In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until frothy. Beat in the superfine sugar, a little at a time, until the mixture holds stiff peaks. Beat in the egg yolks, 1 at a time, the molasses, and vanilla.
- In another bowl, whip the cream until it holds soft peaks. Fold the whipped cream into the egg mixture. Pour into a shallow, 3-quart metal dish and freeze until mushy. Stir in the pecans. Freeze until just firm. Or, turn unwhipped cream into the mixture and freeze in a mechanical ice cream freezer, according to the manufacturer's directions.