Lab Station 01 Modernist Recipe Book
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Specimen photograph for Maple-Bourbon Butter Pecan Ice Cream

Maple-Bourbon Butter Pecan Ice Cream

Yield
approximately 900 ml finished ice cream

October 2, 2026 · Version 1 · Dessert

Maple custard ice cream folded with buttery toasted pecans and a restrained bourbon finish

Preparation

Scaling basis: Whole milk · 300 g

PHASE A — BUTTER PECANS

Ingredient Uses

Method

  1. Toast pecans at 160 C for 8 min–10 min. Cool and chop into 8 mm–12 mm pieces.
  2. Melt butter over medium heat. Add maple syrup and cook for 1 min.
  3. Remove from heat, add bourbon and salt, then return to low heat for 2 min.
  4. Fold in pecans. Spread on a lined tray and cool completely; freeze for 30 min before churning the ice cream.

Phase Outputs

Key Phase Output Description
cold-butter-pecans Cold butter pecans Prepared intermediate for a later Phase. Fold in 180 g during the final 30 s; retain any remainder.

PHASE B — ICE CREAM BASE

Ingredient Uses

Method

  1. Whisk sucrose, dextrose, skim milk powder, stabiliser, and salt together.
  2. Combine milk, cream, and maple syrup. Blend in the dry mixture and heat to 70 C.
  3. Temper egg yolk with the warm mixture, recombine, and heat while stirring to 82 C–84 C for 30 s.
  4. Blend for 30 s and cool to below 4 C as quickly as possible.
  5. Refrigerate for 6 h–12 h.

Phase Outputs

Key Phase Output Description
aged-base Aged base Prepared intermediate for a later Phase. Churn all.

PHASE C — CHURN AND PACK

Method

  1. Churn to approximately -6 C.
  2. Fold in 180 g cold maple-bourbon butter pecans during the final 30 s.
  3. Pack and harden at -18 C for at least 4 h.
  4. Retain any prepared pecans beyond the selected 180 g portion.

Too much residual alcohol softens ice cream. Cook the bourbon briefly and do not increase it without rebalancing the base.

Recorded alternatives (no separate variation-specific testing observations were supplied):

  • Classic butter pecan: Omit bourbon and replace it with 20 g maple syrup.
  • Stronger maple: Add 2 g maple extract to the cold aged base.

Technique Applications

Technique Controls Purpose
Ice cream churning Draw approximately -6 C; inclusions in final 30 s Distribute cold pecans in churned base.

Phase Outputs Used

Phase Output Use
Cold butter pecans Use cold-butter-pecans. Fold in 180 g during the final 30 s; retain any remainder.
Aged base Use aged-base. Churn all.

FAILURE MODES

Symptom Likely cause Corrective action
Soft set too much residual alcohol preserve recorded bourbon amount and cooking step
Soft pecans warm addition cool and freeze before folding