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1
Combine the freeze-dried pears, honey, apple juice, and sugar in a small sauce pan and whisk to combine. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, stirring with a rubber spatula until the sugar and pear powder have dissolved. Simmer until it reduces to a syrup, about 10 to 15 minutes, then stir in the walnuts and set it aside to cool.
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2
In a small bowl, whisk together the starch and 20 grams of the whole milk until smooth to make a starch slurry. Set aside.
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3
In a sauce pan, combine the remaining 200 grams of whole milk with the cream, sugar, nonfat dry milk, corn syrup, and pepper. Whisk vigorously until the dry ingredients are well-incorporated, then set it over medium heat. Prepare an ice bath for your finished mix.
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4
Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower it to a simmer for 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the starch slurry (you may need to whisk the slurry again prior to adding it to ensure the starch is still suspended in the milk and not stuck to the bottom of the bowl). Return the pan to heat and return to a simmer while stirring. After a few minutes, the mixture will begin to thicken.
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5
Once it starts to thicken, remove it from the heat and pour it into a bowl over your prepared ice bath-be careful that the ice bath doesn't overflow into the cream mixture. Blend well with an immersion blender and allow the mix to fully cool. Age in the refrigerator overnight, or for a minimum of four hours.
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6
Remove the mix from the refrigerator, add orange zest, and blend again with immersion blender. Pour into an ice cream machine and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions.
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7
Once frozen, alternate scoops of the ice cream base with the honeyed pear swirl into an airtight container. Freeze for another six hours or overnight.
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8
To build the floats, place two generous scoops of the ice cream in a tumbler. (I prefer low, wide rimmed tumblers as opposed to beer mugs or pint glasses. This allows a more equitable ice cream-to-beer ratio per bite or sip.) Because this beer is highly carbonated, tilt and pour a quarter to a half of the bottle gently down the side of the glass, allowing for a thick head to settle on top of the ice cream. You'll get a little beer volcano if you pour too aggressively. Repeat with 2 to 3 more glasses.
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9
Garnish with an orange peel and, if you're feeling spicy, a little grated nutmeg. Serve with a straw and a spoon, and enjoy!
