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1
Scald the milk and cream with the vanilla bean; don't add the sugar yet.
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2
While the milk mixture is heating, split the vanilla bean down the center lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Whisk the seeds into the milk mixture, then add the empty pod to the pan.
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3
Steep the milk mixture and vanilla. Once the milk mixture is scalding, remove the pan from the heat and cover it. After about 15 minutes, remove the vanilla bean pod.
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4
Reheat the milk mixture back up to scalding. Whisk the egg yolks and temper. While the milk mixture heats to scalding, whisk together the egg yolks with the brown sugar and cornstarch in a medium bowl until they're light in color and slightly fluffy. Gently stream about one-third of the hot milk mixture into the eggs while whisking continuously. This is called tempering. It's important to whisk while streaming the hot milk. If you just pour in the hot milk and then whisk, you may get scrambled eggs.
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5
Thicken the custard over low heat. Pour the egg and milk mixture into.
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6
the rest of the milk mixture in the saucepan and stir continuously on low.
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7
heat with a heatproof spatula or flat-ended wooden spoon. Make sure you scrape the bottom evenly while you continuously stir. The custard is thick enough when you can draw a line on the back of the spoon with your finger and the line retains its shape. It should thicken rather quickly because of the cornstarch.
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8
Strain, cover, and chill the custard for at least 8 hours. Strain the custard through a fine-mesh strainer into a heatproof container. Cover with plastic wrap so that it's directly touching the entire surface of the custard and none of it is exposed to air. This prevents a skin from developing. Transfer the container to an ice bath and let it cool for about 30 minutes to stop the cooking process. Transfer the container to the refrigerator. Chill until the custard is completely cold, at least 8 hours.
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9
Once the custard is completely cold....Dissolve the gelatin in the cold water. Pour the water into a small. saucepan or microwave-safe container and evenly sprinkle the gelatin on top. Allow to sit until the gelatin appears to have absorbed as much water as it can, about 2 minutes. This is called blooming. Gently warm over low heat and stir until the gelatin is completely dissolved into the liquid, about 3 minutes. If using a microwave, heat on medium power and check every 30 seconds until the gelatin is completely dissolved. The total time will depend on the microwave's voltage.
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10
Spike the custard with the cold brandy and gelatin mixture. Pour the gelatin into a medium bowl and whisk in the cold alcohol until combined. Pour the cold custard into a large bowl. Stream the alcohol and gelatin mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into the custard and whisk until thoroughly blended.
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11
Churn the ice cream. Pour the cold custard immediately into the ice cream maker and churn for at least 20 minutes, or as directed. Due to the alcohol content, you may wish to churn it longer to get the desired thickness.
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12
Add the candied pecans. Scoop about one-third of the ice cream into a freezer-proof container and sprinkle about one-third of the candied pecans on top. Repeat the layers twice more with the remaining ice cream and pecans, then gently fold it all together. Be sure to work quickly-if the ice cream melts too much, it will just get icy once it's in the freezer.
