Dulce de Leche Ice Cream with Salted Pecans

You can make this wonderful dulce de leche ice cream with or without an ice cream maker - it's so easy. The only extra step is to roast the pecans, but the flavor of the buttery salted pecans with the caramel dulce de leche is worth the effort. Use purchased dulce de leche, or make your own.

Prep Time: 3 hours, 00 minutes

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cups pecan halves
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups whipping cream (or 2 cups whipping cream & 1 cup milk, if using an ice cream machine)
• 1 1/2 cups dulce de leche
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
   
   
2. Place the pecans in a shallow pan with the butter and salt. Roast the pecans for about 25 minutes, stirring every 5 -10 minutes, until dark brown.
   
   
3. Cool pecans on a paper towel, coarsely chop, and set aside.
   
   
4. If you are using an ice cream maker, stir 1 cup milk and 2 cups cream together.
   
   
5. Over low heat, without boiling, whisk the dulce de leche into the milk/cream mixture until well blended. Chill mixture in the refrigerator.
   
   
6. When mixture is well chilled, stir in vanilla and a pinch of salt, and freeze mixture in an ice cream maker, according to manufacturer's directions.
   
   
7. Fold in chopped pecans, and place mixture in the freezer until it reaches desired consistency.
   
   
8. To make this recipe without an ice cream maker, place dulce de leche in a medium bowl, and whisk in the vanilla and a pinch of salt.
   
   
9. Whip 3 cups of whipping cream until soft peaks form.
   
   
10. Whisk about a cup of the whipped cream into the dulce de leche to lighten it.
    
    
11. Carefully fold in the rest of the whipped cream. Place the mixture in a container and freeze for about an hour.
    
    
12. Once mixture is fairly firm, stir in the chopped pecans.
    
    
13. Continue to freeze until ice cream has desired texture.

Makes about 6 servings.

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