i started daydreaming while making seitan today. i took a mental inventory of the fridge and realized i had some leftover goodies from thanksgiving; mainly pecans, brown rice syrup, vanilla, and a bunch of almond milk. i then remembered that the wonderful, ice cream freeze-bowl attachment for my kitchen aid mixer was in the freezer, ready to go at the drop of the hat. i decided my sweet tooth was worth winging it, and i crafted some not-too-sweet, sticky, yummy, pecan ice cream!
if you dont have an ice cream maker of some sort, it will take a lot more elbow grease. if i remember ice cream 101, you have to freeze the batch while removing it to stir thoroughly every hour or so? look into it before you begin.
vanilla ice cream base
4 cups almond, or another non dairy milk
*1/2 cup en-r-g egg replacer
*2 tbs cornstarch
1 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
caramel pecan swirl
1 c pecans, chopped
1/2 c brown rice syrup
1/2 c agave nectar
1 tbs earth balance
2 tbs almond milk
1/4 tsp vanilla
dash salt
*i’m not sure, but i think i like the texture more when using 6 tbs total cornstarch, and no egg replacer. IMO, start with the all cornstarch version.
ice cream!
make sure your freeze bowl has been prepped according to manufacturers instructions! so, so crucial!
in a large sauce pan, bring the milk and sugar to a simmer. mix the egg substitute powder and cornstarch with enough water to make a thin slurry or sorts. add a few spoonfuls of the hot milk, whisking well, to temper. now carefully whisk all of the mixture into the milk and stir constantly until extremely thick. remove from the heat, add the vanilla, and stir well. its going to look a little, um, nasty and the consistency will be like that of a weird glue pudding. that is actually what you want, so don’t throw it out 
pour into a lasagne, or roasting pan and cool in the fridge.
caramel pecans!
in a non-stick pan, combine the syrups over medium heat and bring to a low simmer. add the earth balance, and simmer until the mixture starts to foam and cling to the pan when tilted. add the nuts, salt, milk, and vanilla. mix well and remove from heat once it simmers again. let cool completely.
freeze!
get your machine ready! make sure the custard is completely cool (and cold!) before proceeding! freeze the custard according to the manufacturers instructions. when there is only a few minutes left, drop the pecans in, a spoonful at a time. one all the pecans have been added, remove and spoon the ice cream into an airtight container and freeze for at least 1 hour, or until firm.
vegan caramel pecan ice cream!
