Ice Cream Sundays - {maple walnut}

The minute I got my copy of David Lebovitz's The Perfect Scoop, I was dying to make this recipe: maple walnut ice cream with wet walnuts.  Doesn't that sound wonderful?  I thought so, but I made myself wait until Fall, because it seemed so autumn-y.  I can tell you, it was worth the wait.

This is a traditional custard-style ice cream (by far, my favorite).  I only made a single batch because real maple syrup is like liquid gold.  It's a bit pricy and I get ours from the farmer's market, which is a drive from where we live.  I make sure the Bachsters use it as sparingly as possible on their pancakes, so I thought I should practice what I preach.  However, I could have easily made a triple batch of this stuff & we'd all be perfectly content.  But I must exercise a little self restraint here and there, so a single batch it was.

But what a batch!  A maple syrup metamorphosis (the Grade B is a must) and the walnuts are really the perfect compliment to the flavor.  I only added a half batch of the wet walnuts because I a) usually don't like lots of nuts in my ice cream and b) as mentioned, was being stingy on the maple syrup.  But I think half the recipe was the perfect amount.  You should make it and see which way you prefer it.  No, I'm being serious: you should make this ice cream!  And don't necessarily wait until Fall, like I did.  Just like a big stack of pancakes with maple syrup, you can enjoy it any (and every!) season.

-Cheryl