Buttermilk Pecan Ice Cream, Chocolate & Sea Salt Peanut Brittle

For the Buttermilk Pecan Ice Cream:
Place three-quarters cup of the sugar and the heavy cream in a large, heavy saucepan and scrape the vanilla bean seeds into this mixture. Add the scraped vanilla bean pod and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.

Whisk together the egg yolks and the remaining one-quarter cup sugar until the sugar is dissolved. When the heavy-cream mixture simmers, remove it from the heat, and discard the vanilla bean pod. Very slowly pour one-half cup or so of the heavy-cream mixture into the egg yolks in a thin stream, whisking constantly to prevent the egg yolks from curdling. Pour this mixture back into the saucepan with the heavy cream, whisking constantly. Simmer gently, stirring constantly, until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Whisk in the buttermilk, pecans, and salt, and stir to combine.

Freeze in an ice-cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions.

For the Chocolate & Sea Salt Peanut Brittle:
Place a metal or glass bowl over a large saucepan filled halfway with water to make a double boiler. Bring the water to boil, and then reduce it to a gentle simmer.

Place the chocolate and corn syrup in the bowl, and cook, stirring often, until melted and smooth. Stir in the peanuts and immediately pour this mixture out onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Using a spatula, evenly disperse the peanuts and spread the mixture into an even thickness. Sprinkle with the salt. Refrigerate until hardened, then break or cut into pieces for serving.