I make ice cream every day of the year, even through the winter months. Clean, gentle and not too sweet, I find it is one of the nicest ways to finish a meal – light or heavy. No matter how bespoke some shop-bought ice creams claim to be, I find homemade ice cream far superior. This is one of the sweeter ice creams we make, which is probably why it is always popular with children. Pecans and maple syrup have a natural affinity.
Pour the milk into a heavy-based saucepan. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla pod and add them to the milk, together with the empty pod. Place over a low heat and slowly bring to just below the boil. Take off the heat and leave to infuse for at least 30 minutes. Remove the vanilla pod.
Put the eggs and sugar in a bowl and whisk together thoroughly. Return the milk to a medium-low heat. As soon as it comes to just under a boil, take off the heat and add the maple syrup. Pour onto the egg yolk mixture, stirring with the whisk as you do so.
Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and stir over a very low heat with a wooden spoon, using a figure-of-eight motion, until the custard has thickened enough to lightly coat the back of the spoon. Don’t overheat or it may curdle. As soon as it thickens, remove from the heat, pour into a bowl and allow to cool completely.
Once cool, stir through the cream and churn in an ice-cream maker. When the ice cream begins to set, add the chopped pecan nuts and continue to churn for another 10 minutes. Transfer the ice cream to a freezerproof container and place in the freezer for at least 2 hours before serving. It is best served within a day or two of making.
To serve, scoop the ice cream into bowls, sprinkle with a few chopped pecans and add a drizzle of maple syrup.