My best-preferred way for flavouring nutty ice creams is to overnight infuse toasted nuts in the hazelnut milk and cream used in the recipe, as opposed to incorporating nut pastes or butter into the ice cream base. Even after the nuts have been filtered out, the dairy has a strong flavour because the fragrant essential oils in the almonds are extracted over time and heat. Concerns about textural quality and philosophy make up the majority of this, with some issues related to the pricing and quality control. These cheap store-bought foods may not necessarily have the best texture or quality; freshness and sugar content may differ, and some may have been partially defatted to prevent separation. High-end types, however, may be silky smooth because of the wet-milling or conching techniques used to treat the nuts, but their costs are astronomical. Making a batch of homemade nut paste might be a good way to balance cost and quality in many dessert applications, but I find it to be a labour-intensive process that yields a texture that is undesirable for ice cream. Furthermore, the thought of having to complete such a time-consuming first step when the urge for frozen dessert strikes can be as annoying as waiting for a special order of nut butter or paste to be sent to your door. I favour producing ice cream using only ingredients and equipment that can be found in an ice cream maker. Whole, premium nuts that have been toasted and peeled are all you need to create delicious ice creams with nutty flavours. I use a technique that works with black walnuts, cashews, peanuts, and pine nuts in my cookbook that is universal for nut-based ice creams. 
It's a flexible recipe that can be used with a variety of ingredients, but in this instance, I'm modifying it to highlight one particular variety of nut: hazelnuts. I start by cutting toasted, peeled hazelnuts roughly. This increases their surface area, making it easier for the milk and cream to absorb flavour. The focus here should be on surface area "optimization," not "maximisation." It might be possible to increase the surface area of the nuts by finely chopping or even grinding them into a paste or butter. However, doing so would also cause the nuts to soak up a lot more milk and cream, resulting in a dish that was more like a purée than an infusion. The nuts must be thoroughly boiled for this approach to work; otherwise, the resulting ice cream would be grainy and coarse. Just enough hazelnuts need to be broken up to make the infusion go more smoothly without allowing for excessive absorption. The same principle holds true for cutting mirepoix for chicken or beef stock: if the vegetables are chopped too finely, they will absorb too much moisture, lowering the yield of the stock. I would suggest, without being excessively prescriptive, cutting each hazelnut into quarters, but there is no requirement to carve each nut separately; a basic chop would be sufficient. 
I chopped the hazelnuts and placed them in a 3-quart stainless steel saucier before adding the milk and cream. A split and scraped vanilla bean will also be added when I'm in the mood to treat myself (it is vital to set away the scraped vanilla seeds at this point since they would otherwise cling to the hazelnuts and be lost during filtering). This is also a great chance to get as much vanilla bean juice out as you can. Simply omit the pod if you don't have one (fresh or otherwise). The mellow, almost oaky flavour that the pod adds to an infusion is a lovely contrast to the creamy, nutty flavour of hazelnuts. With or without a vanilla bean pod, the hazelnut and dairy mixture is cooked over medium heat before being cooled to room temperature and covered. After that, I'll chill it for up to 36 hours or overnight. After 12 hours, the task is more about convenience than flavour, so proceed at your own leisure. In order to ensure that the butterfat layer that forms around the hazelnuts has fully melted and that the nuts have expressed as much flavour as possible, I bring the mixture back to a boil after chilling. The hazelnuts will still be rather hard, so there isn't much to extract. I next strain the hazelnuts through a small mesh strainer, swirling and pressing slightly to extract any leftover delectable dairy. These hazelnuts are no longer needed for the ice cream base, but they don't have to be thrown away. They can be used in our creamy or crunchy Homemade Nutella in their natural form. The cooking time will be slightly longer because of the hazelnuts' increased moisture content, but the recipe won't need to be changed. The addition of chocolate and hazelnut oil makes homemade Nutella nuttier and tastier than store-bought versions. 
I'll whisk in the eggs, sugar (toasted sugar is a lovely touch), vanilla seeds from the bean I scraped the day before, and warm hazelnut milk once the sauce has cooled to the touch. No tempering is required at this point because the mixture won't be hot enough to scramble the yolks. The base is then incorporated with a small amount of mascarpone. The naturally sweet and delicately nutty flavour of mascarpone tends to enhance the hazelnut flavour while also completing the ice cream's dairy composition (as the hazelnuts themselves can absorb quite a bit). In order to gradually warm the eggs, I start the ice cream base over medium-low heat and stir continuously with a heat-resistant, flexible spatula. I turn up the heat to medium and cook the liquid (constantly swirling and scraping) until it is scalding once it is warm to the touch. The ideal cooking temperature for each distinct ice cream will vary from recipe to recipe depending on the quantity of sugar and dairy as well as the desired level of coagulation and/or evaporation in the base. I don't usually check the temperature with a thermometer, but if you choose to, aim for 165°F (74°C), then strain the base through a fine-mesh strainer (you can reuse the same strainer, no need to clean it between uses). After the initial seasoning with salt, liqueur, or vanilla, as with any ice cream base, I like to taste the base and make any required modifications in accordance with its flavour. Remember that ice cream that has been frozen will taste less sweet, so don't add too much salt. 
The ice cream base needs to be refrigerated to 39 degrees Fahrenheit before churning (4 degrees Celsius). The refrigerator can be used passively or aggressively to accomplish this (with the ice cream base covered, to prevent odour absorption and excess moisture loss through evaporation). Max Falkowitz, a former ice cream whisperer for Serious Eats, argues that if the ice cream bases are sufficiently cold before churning, they do not need to be chilled overnight. Although the Cuisinart Ice 21 is usually my first choice for an ice cream maker, I used the Breville Smart Scoop in this case since I needed to make numerous quarts of this ice cream for...personal reasons. For more information on these gadgets, see our in-depth ice cream maker review. The ice cream can either be eaten right away as soft serve once it has been churned or it can be moved to a cool container to completely freeze before being scooped. The hazelnut ice cream initially seems beige, similar to pure vanilla, but upon closer inspection, the hazelnut infusion, which is the only faint flavouring present, gives it a beautiful ivory colour. The ice cream is rich in sweetness and has a subtle dairy flavour that highlights its nuttiness thanks to the mascarpone, making it worthy of individual enjoyment. However, it excels when combined with toasted hazelnuts for texture and mild, creamy fruits like bananas or figs. Or, for a truly special hazelnut sundae, I'll top it off with a dollop of warm, homemade Nutella.
💰 Tenfold your income 💎