Cinnamon and Pecan Ice Cream

The crunchy pecans go really well with the cinnamon ice cream. Great on its own or with apple crumble / apple pie / hot chocolate sponge pudding. No ice cream maker required.

1. 1

   Put the milk and cream in a large saucepan. Break the cinnamon stick in half and add to the pan with the vanilla. Place over a medium heat until hot, but just before it boils (when small bubbles start to appear). Turn off the heat, cover with a lid or plate and leave for an hour to an hour and a half to infuse.
   Pour the infused milk and cream through a sieve and discard the cinnamon.
   Pour back into the pan and heat again until small bubbles start to appear. Meanwhile, beat together the egg yolks snd sugar until pale and creamy. Slowly pour the hot cream over the whisked yolks and sugar while whisking, then return to the pan and place over a low heat. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until the custard thickens and it leaves a clean mark when you coat the back of the spoon and drag your finger through it (this will probably take about 10 minutes).
   Pour the hot custard though a sieve into a jug, then pour it into a freezer-proof box with a lid (approx. 750 ml min.). Cover the surface with clingfilm to prevent a skin from forming. Leave to cool. Once completely cool (1 ½ - 2 hours), remove the clingfilm, put the lid on the box and freeze for at least 4 hours, until hard.
   Remove the ice cream from the freezer. Turn it out of the box, cut it into chunks with a sharp knife and put them in a food processor fitted with the metal blade. (To help it out, pour hot water of the bottom of the box for a few seconds – it should then slip out, if not, ease around the sides with a knife. If it is rock solid and impossible to cut, leave it to soften for a few minutes). Blitz in the food processor for a few minutes until smooth and creamy. Spoon back into the box, cover and freeze again until hard, then repeat this process twice more. It can be left overnight between blitzing if needed - it will just take longer to blitz until smooth.
   
   Meanwhile, make the caramelised pecans. Toast the nuts in a dry frying pan over a minute heat for a 2-3 minutes then leave to cool. Put the sugar, cinnamon, salt, and water in a heavy based saucepan and stir together then place over a medium heat. Once the mixture is boiling, attach a thermometer and keep stirring until the temperature reaches 113 degrees C. Remove from the heat and stir in the toasted pecans until the nuts are completely coated. Pour onto a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or greaseproof paper. Leave to set hard then roughly chop and keep in a sealed jar or tin until needed.
   
   Once the ice cream is smooth after the final blitz, add half of the nuts and blitz again for a few seconds. Spoon half of the ice cream back into the box, scatter over the rest of the nuts then spoon over the rest of the ice cream and briefly stir together before returning to the freezer.
   
   Remove from the freezer about 10 minutes before serving to soften a little.