Sweet Potato Ice Cream with Maple-Glazed Pecans

Sweet potato casserole is one of my favorite things to eat at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Those are the only two days out of the year that I eat it (except for leftovers). I don't like the one with marshmallows on top; it has to have the crunchy praline topping to make me happy. This ice cream is very similar to the sweet potato casserole that I love so much, especially since it has the pecans mixed in.


And it's an added bonus with the Whiskey Maple Cream Sauce on top. It's very rich, so it doesn't take much to satisfy my sweet tooth and tummy. That's a good thing!

Sweet Potato Ice Cream with Maple-Glazed Pecans

Ingredients:
1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled
1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons whole milk
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
Few drops of lemon juice
Wet Pecans (recipe below)

Directions:
Cut the sweet potatoes into 1-inch cubes. Place the cubed potatoes in a medium saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook for 20 minutes, or until tender when poked with a sharp knife. Drain the sweet potatoes and let cool to room temperature.

Pour the milk into a blender and add the brown sugar, sweet potato pieces, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt. Puree until very smooth, at least 30 seconds. Add lemon juice to taste. Press the mixture through a mesh strainer, using a flexible rubber spatula.

Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. During the last few minutes of churning, add the pecans and their syrup.


Wet Pecans

Ingredients:
1/2 cup plus 1 Tablespoon dark amber maple syrup
1 1/2 cups pecans, toasted and very coarsely chopped
Big pinch of salt

Directions:
Heat the maple syrup in a small skillet or saucepan until it just begins to come to a full boil. Stir in the pecans, then cook until the liquid comes to a full boil once again. Stir the nuts for 10 seconds, then remove them from the heat and let cool completely. The nuts will still be wet and sticky when cooled.

Source: The Perfect Scoop, by David Lebovitz