Photo courtesy of Not Quite Nigella food blog
October has arrived: pumpkins are appearing in grocery stores and pumpkin patches are popping up all around. The air turns brisk, evenings cool down, and the landscape adopts golden hues. I pull out sweaters, light a fire, and decorate the house in rich harvest tones. Autumn is my favorite season, and I love celebrating its flavors and comforts.
Pumpkins make us think of carving and decorating, but most of all of eating. While pumpkin pie is a classic, I wanted something that bridges late summer warmth and autumn spice. Here in the Bay Area, daytime temperatures can stay mild, so a chilled dessert with pumpkin pie flavors was the perfect idea — pumpkin ice cream.
If you follow food blogs, you may already know and love David Lebovitz and Emily Lucchetti — two exceptional pastry chefs. David, formerly of Chez Panisse, writes from Paris; Emily trained at Stars and has led pastry at Farallon. Both are award-winning authors and inspiring teachers. Their recipes and methods encourage experimenting with flavors and techniques.
This pumpkin ice cream was inspired by a beautiful recipe and photos on the food blog Not Quite Nigella by Lorraine Elliott of Sydney. Her recipe uses cooked, pureed pumpkin to create a rich custard base — a method similar to making pumpkin pie from scratch. If you enjoy using fresh pumpkin for pies, you’ll appreciate this approach. Try her recipe or follow the version below for a creamy, spiced ice cream that’s family-friendly and fun to make with kids.
If you’re in the mood for pumpkin but not pie, this smooth, spiced ice cream is a satisfying alternative. It’s a great way to enjoy pumpkin flavors in warmer weather and can even change how you think about dessert at holiday meals.
Enjoy!
Pumpkin Ice Cream
Jane’s Tips and Hints:
This ice cream is versatile while still soft: swirl in chocolate sauce, fold in chocolate chips, chopped candied ginger, crumbled ginger snaps for crunch, or toasted nuts. You can also press the churned ice cream into a pie plate and freeze it for an ice cream pie.
- 8 large egg yolks
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2-1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1 (15 oz) can pure pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- Prepare an ice bath by combining about 3 cups of ice with 2 cups of water in a large bowl. Nestle a metal bowl in the center and place a fine mesh strainer over it; this will cool the custard after cooking. Set aside.
- Whisk the egg yolks with 1/4 cup of the sugar and the salt in a large mixing bowl until smooth. Set aside.
- In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the milk, cream, and remaining 1/2 cup sugar. Add the grated ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Whisk to dissolve the sugar, then heat over medium-high, stirring often, until the mixture steams and small bubbles form at the edge. Do not boil.
- Temper the eggs by whisking about half of the hot cream into the yolk mixture slowly, then return this mixture to the saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring constantly with a heatproof spatula, until the custard thickly coats the spatula. The line you draw with your finger down the spatula should hold. An instant-read thermometer should read about 160°F to 170°F.
- Pour the custard through the strainer into the metal bowl in the ice bath. Cool for 5 minutes, then whisk in the pumpkin puree. Continue cooling to room temperature, adding ice as needed. When cool, stir in the vanilla, transfer to a sealable container, and refrigerate thoroughly for several hours or overnight.
- For the smoothest texture, press the chilled mixture through a very fine-mesh strainer to remove any fibrous bits. Freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer to a container and freeze for at least an hour before serving; longer chilling yields firmer ice cream. Serve immediately for a soft-serve texture.
- Yield: about 1 quart
- Pumpkin pie filling is pre-sweetened and spiced; use plain pumpkin puree for this recipe.
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