Peanut Butter Swirl Ice Cream
I have adapted this recipe from one printed in Saveur (No. 86, August/September 2005). My version uses half the peanut butter and results in a creamier indulgence that is not weighted down by the peanut butter.
The incomparable crunch of blistered peanuts really sends this over the top.
Ingredients
1 cup milk
3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup smooth natural peanut butter
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup salted roasted shelled peanuts, chopped
Instructions
Heat milk in a small saucepan over medium heat until just hot. Meanwhile, beat sugar and eggs together in a medium bowl until thick and pale yellow.
Gradually whisk hot milk into egg mixture in bowl, then pour milk-egg mixture into saucepan. Return saucepan to medium-low heat and cook custard, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until it is thick enough to coast the back of the spoon, about 5 minutes. (A good test of the correct consistency is to coat the back of a wooden spoon and then draw your finger through the custard on the back of the spoon. The line that forms should stay visible and roughly the same size.) Remove saucepan from heat and stir in half the peanut butter (1/4 cup). Strain custard into a large bowl, let cool briefly, stirring often, then stir in cream and vanilla. Cover and refrigerate until cold, 6 to 8 hours.
Process mixture in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s directions, adding half the chopped nuts (1/2 cup) to the ice cream 30 seconds before it has finished churning. Transfer to a bowl, quickly swirl in remaining peanut butter, cover, and freeze until hard. Serve ice cream sprinkled with remaining nuts.