Ingredients

1/2 teaspoon plus 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at
room temperature
1/2 teaspoon plus 1 1/2 cups bleached all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch salt
1 recipe Vanilla-Praline Ice Cream, recipe follows
Peanut Butter and Chocolate Pralines, recipe follows

Directions

Preheat

the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf pan with 1/2
teaspoon of the butter and 1/2 teaspoon of the flour. In a large mixing bowl, cream the
remaining 1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter and the sugar together with an electric mixer until
smooth. Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Beat in the vanilla.
Into a medium-size mixing bowl, sift the remaining 1 1/2 cups flour, the cocoa, baking
powder, and salt together. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture at a time to the butter/sugar
mixture, beating after each addition. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and bake
until it springs back when touched, about 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool
in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove it from the pan and let cool
completely on the rack. After the ice cream is firm, remove it from the pan. Cut the ice
cream into 16 slices. Place 1 slice of ice cream between 2 slices of pound cake, forming
a sandwich. Repeat the process until all of the cake is used. Wrap each sandwich in
plastic wrap and freeze until ready to serve. To serve, unwrap the sandwiches and serve
each with a praline on the side.

Ingredients

VANILLA-PRALINE ICE
CREAM:
2 cups milk

2 cups heavy cream
1 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
6 large egg yolks
8 Peanut Butter and Chocolate Pralines (recipe follows),
crumbled

Directions

In a medium-size, nonreactive saucepan over medium
heat, combine the milk, cream, sugar, and vanilla bean and pulp. Whisk to dissolve as the
mixture heats. Heat the mixture to the scalding point (when bubbles form around the edges
of the pan); do not let it boil. Remove from the heat. Beat the egg yolks in a large
mixing bowl. Add the hot cream mixture about 1/4 cup at a time to the beaten yolks,
whisking well after each addition. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and cook,
stirring over medium heat until the mixture becomes thick enough to lightly coat the back
of a spoon, 2 to 3 minutes, do not let it boil. Remove from the heat and strain through a
fine-mesh strainer into a glass bowl. Cover the top of the mixture with plastic wrap
(this will keep a skin from forming) and let cool. Place the mixture in the refrigerator
and chill completely. Pour the mixture into an ice cream machine and follow the

manufacturer's instructions for the churning time. Once the ice cream is almost ready,
about 5 minutes before the churning time is complete, add the crumbled pralines through
the ingredients spout. Continue to churn until the ice cream freezes. Line an 8 1/2 by 4
1/2 by 2 1/2-inch loaf pan with plastic wrap. Scoop the ice cream into the pan, smooth
the top, cover, and freeze until firm, about 4 hours. When ready to assemble the ice
cream sandwiches, lift the ice cream out with the plastic
wrap.

Ingredients

PEANUT BUTTER AND CHOCOLATE PRALINES:
1 pound light brown sugar (about 3 firmly packed cups)
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups pecan pieces

Directions

Combine the brown sugar, milk, salt,
butter, peanut butter, and cocoa in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir to
dissolve as the mixture heats. Continue to cook, stirring, until the mixture begins to

bubble around the edges of the pan and reaches 234 degrees to 240 degrees F on a candy
thermometer, or the soft ball stage (that is, when a bit of the mixture is dropped into
cold water, it forms a soft ball that flattens), about 12 minutes. Remove from the heat
and stir in the pecans. Drop the mixture by the tablespoonful onto a waxed or parchment
paper on a baking sheet and let cool completely. Lift the pralines off the paper with a
thin knife. Pralines can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to
2 weeks.