It had been a very long time since I’d published an ice cream recipe on the blog. And yet, I do love ice cream. I even have an ice cream maker but I find it really restrictive to use since you have to put the bowl in the freezer before making the ice cream and I don’t know about you, but I have a small 3-drawer freezer that’s already filled to the max, so squeezing a bowl in there is clearly mission impossible.
I’d happily buy a compressor ice cream machine to spare myself this chore but the price of one is exorbitant (especially for the use I’d get out of it).
Of course, nowadays it’s entirely possible to make ice cream without an ice cream maker. I’d actually already done it with the Twix and caramel ice cream (pure bliss).
So it was time to publish a new recipe and it’s now done with this Dulcey chocolate, pecan and pecan praline ice cream, a recipe found at my friend Carine’s blog Chic, chic, chocolat.
How do you make ice cream without an ice cream maker?
To make ice cream without an ice cream maker, you generally use 2 basic ingredients: full-fat liquid cream (minimum 30% fat) and sweetened condensed milk. Here, the recipe is a little different since we use Dulcey chocolate. So we first make a whipped ganache, which is why you need to start this recipe the day before, because the whipped ganache absolutely must rest overnight in the fridge.
But what makes this recipe brilliant is that you can customise it as you like and add all sorts of things to it: caramel, praline, vanilla, nuts, chocolate chips or even pieces of fruit or fruit purée… in short, as you’ll have gathered, this recipe can be varied endlessly.
To freeze the ice cream, you can then use individual containers (as I did for the Twix and caramel ice cream) or use a larger container, which is what I did here. It can be a large airtight container or a loaf tin. But whatever happens, I advise you to cover your ice cream with cling film to prevent frost from forming.
Finally, before serving the ice cream, one last tip: leave it at room temperature for a few minutes to make it easier to form scoops (the cream is very hard straight out of the freezer). Don’t hesitate to run your ice cream scoop under hot water either.
What if I don’t have Dulcey chocolate?
I’m tempted to say “don’t ask me whether you can replace the Dulcey”. Because everything can be replaced of course, but here, that little Dulcey flavour pairs perfectly with the pecan, it would be a shame to miss out. You can find it online fairly easily or at G Detou for those in Paris or Lyon, and at Zôdio too. For those who don’t yet know this chocolate (Valrhona), it’s a blond chocolate with an absolutely delicious biscuity taste.
That said, if you really don’t want to buy Dulcey chocolate, I recommend using a white couverture chocolate such as Valrhona’s Ivoire or Cacao Barry’s Zéphyr for example (it will be much better and above all much less sweet) along with a nice vanilla pod. It will pair very well with the pecan too. And if you don’t have white chocolate either, I suggest my recipe for Twix and caramel ice cream (it’s simply liquid cream whipped into chantilly and mixed with condensed milk).
Ingredients & method
3 components · Full recipe
Pecan praline (makes about 200 g (7.1 oz), can be made ahead)
Ingredients
- 150 g (5.3 oz) pecans
- 100 g (3.5 oz) sugar
- 25 g (0.9 oz) water
- 1 pinch of fleur de sel
Method
1
Toast the pecans in the oven for about 10–15 minutes at 150°C / 300°F.
2
In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring the water and sugar to a boil. At 116°C / 241°F, remove from the heat, pour the nuts into the liquid sugar and stir so the sugar coats all the nuts. The mixture will turn whitish — that’s normal.
3
Return to medium heat and stir until the sugar melts again and caramelises (this can take a little time). Keep stirring continuously to prevent the nut mixture from burning.
4
At the end of cooking, the nuts will be glossy and have taken on a lovely auburn colour. Spread on baking paper and leave to cool.
5
Once completely cold, break up the nut slab and place it in a food processor with the fleur de sel.
6
Blitz, pausing regularly (to prevent the paste from overheating) until you reach a praline consistency. The longer you blend, the more liquid it will become. You can choose a “rustic” praline with some texture, or a very smooth one.
7
Store in an airtight jar.
Ice cream base (start the day before)
Ingredients
- 200 g (7.1 oz) Dulcey chocolate
- 160 g (5.6 oz) + 340 g (12 oz) heavy cream
Method
1
Melt the Dulcey chocolate in the microwave.
2
In a small saucepan, heat the 160 g (5.6 oz) of cream and bring to a boil.
3
Pour one-third of the cream over the Dulcey chocolate and stir with a spatula to create an emulsion. Then add the second third, then the third, to obtain a smooth, homogeneous mixture.
4
Add the 340 g (12 oz) of cold heavy cream and stir again. Blitz for a few seconds with an immersion blender to fully combine.
5
Cover with cling film touching the surface and refrigerate overnight.
Ice cream (continued)
Ingredients
- 100 g (3.5 oz) pecans
- 170 g (6 oz) sweetened condensed milk
- 20 g (0.7 oz) vodka
- a little pecan praline (in the ice cream and on top) 🙂
Method
1
The next day, toast the pecans in the oven for about 15 minutes at 150°C / 300°F. Leave to cool.
2
Whip the Dulcey ganache with a mixer — it should remain soft and creamy.
3
Add the sweetened condensed milk and vodka and fold in gently with a spatula.
4
Pour the ice cream into a container. Layer ice cream, pecans and pecan praline alternately.
5
Freeze for at least 6 hours.
6
Remember to take the ice cream out 5 minutes before scooping, as it will be very firm straight from the freezer!! Add a little pecan praline over the scoops for extra indulgence. It’s absolutely delicious! The vodka is undetectable (I promise). It simply gives a creamier, smoother texture. You can leave it out, but trust me — 20 g (0.7 oz) of vodka in this quantity of ice cream won’t “spike” anything 😉
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