Tribute to Fathers: Chef David Guas

We caught up with Chef/Owner David Guas - Bayou Bakery, Coffee Bar and Eatery to see what he liked to make with his kids on Father's Day.  Check out what he had to say and learn how to make one of his ice cream recipes.

Father’s Day always has an uncanny way of making me crave ice cream—maybe it has to do with its June date and the weather’s just getting hot.  It doesn’t matter, because lucky for me that same craving for something icy and creamy always hit my dad right at the same time too.  So once Father’s Day rolled around and that craving hit, we piled into the car and headed to Angelo Brocato’s ice cream and pastry shop on Carrollton Avenue.  Family-run for generations, Brocato’s is still known for its creamy spumoni and gelato-style ice cream.  While we disagreed for a while on what their best flavor was, I finally had to agree with my dad that their praline-style ice cream was the best.  Sweet, salty, with a caramelly, butter underpinning, it has become synonymous with summer time and my dad.  Being a few miles away from Brocato’s now, I make my own version for me and my boys that they have learned to love.  I guess it runs in the family.

Pecan and Brown Butter Ice Cream

Chef David Guas, Owner of Bayou Bakery, Coffee Bar and Eatery

from DamGodSweet: Desserts to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth, New Orleans Style

Ingredients

1 stick + 1 tablespoon            Unsalted Butter, cut into small pieces

1 cup                    Pecans, roughly chopped

1 1/2 cups                Milk

1 1/2 cups                Heavy Cream

1/2 cup + 3 tablespoons        Sugar

8 each                    Large Egg Yolks

Procedure

Heat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

Place the butter in a medium saucepan and melt over medium heat.  Simmer the butter, whisking often to incorporate any solids that sink to the bottom of the pan, until it is a golden-amber color and smells nutty, 4 to 6 minutes.  The butter should maintain a foam on top filled with tiny bubbles—if it sputters or spatters, reduce the heat.  Set the butter aside to cool to room temperature.

Place the pecans on a rimmed baking sheet and roast in the oven until fragrant and toasted, 6 to 8 minutes.  Set aside to cool.

Bring the milk, cream, and sugar to a boil in a large pot over medium heat.  Turn off the heat and set the pot aside.  Place the egg yolks into the bowl of a stand mixer (or into a large bowl if using a hand mixer) and whip on high speed while slowly drizzling in the cooled, browned butter.  Once all the butter is added, slowly whisk a little of the hot milk mixture into the egg-butter mixture until the bottom of the bowl is warm to the touch, then add the remaining hot milk.  Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean large bowl.

Fill another large bowl with ice and water (1 part ice to 2 parts water) and set the bowl containing the ice cream base into the water bath (make sure the water doesn’t seep into the bowl with the base).  Stir the mixture occasionally until it is completely cooled, 45 to 60 minutes, and then refrigerate for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight (the ice cream base will keep in the refrigerator for 2 days).  Following your ice cream maker’s instructions, churn the cold ice cream base into ice cream.  Stir in the toasted pecans.  If you like soft serve-style ice cream, then serve and eat right away, or for a hard-style ice cream, transfer the ice cream to a container and place in the freezer until serving.