A couple weeks ago I had my first taste of Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream. I was hooked. I needed to find a recipe that I could make at home so I could enjoy it at my leisure. Probably not the best move if you’re watching your waistline, but everything is okay in moderation, right?
As I’ve mentioned before, pumpkin pie is best served with vanilla ice cream. Well, in my humble opinion anyway. So this dessert was clearly a no-brainer for me to feature. This ice cream is creamy, rich and decadent! It literally tastes like pumpkin pie. Absolutely delicious and perfect for holding onto the last bits of summer but embracing autumn flavours.
You will need:
1 cup fresh pumpkin puree or canned unsweetened pumpkin puree (I used canned)
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups whipping cream
3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
5 egg yolks
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp salt
Pinch of nutmeg
In a bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree and vanilla.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or up to 8 hours.
In a heavy 2-quart saucepan over medium heat, combine 1 1/2 cups of the cream and 1/2 cup of the brown sugar.
Cook until bubbles form around the edges of the pan, about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the egg yolks, cinnamon, ginger, salt, nutmeg, the remaining 1/2 cup cream and the remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar.
Whisk until smooth and the sugar begins to dissolve.
Remove the cream mixture from the heat.
Gradually whisk about 1/2 cup of the hot cream mixture into the egg mixture until smooth.
Pour the egg mixture back into the pan.
Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon and keeping the custard at a low simmer, until it is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon, 4 to 6 minutes.
Do not allow the custard to boil.
Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl.
Place the bowl in a sink filled with ice water, stirring occasionally until cool.
Whisk the pumpkin mixture into the custard.
Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly on the surface of the custard to prevent a skin from forming.
Refrigerate until chilled, at least 3 hours or up to 24 hours.
Transfer the custard to an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Transfer the ice cream to a freezer-safe container. Cover and freeze until firm, at least 3 hours or up to 3 days, before serving.
Delicious!
It will be very tough to have just one bowl.
Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Williams-Sonoma Collection Series, Ice Cream, by Mary Goodbody (Simon & Schuster, 2003).