Pumpkin Ice Cream

This weekend I was invited to a Vegetarian Thanksgiving Potluck at my friend's house. What did I bring? Ice cream, of course! Since it is Thanksgiving, I decided to try to be somewhat seasonal, especially as I would already be serving ice cream in November. I was slightly nervous about debuting my ice cream to a large group of people. So far, it has been primarily only my husband and I eating my ice cream. Still, I thought it would be a great opportunity to try and make a pumpkin flavored ice cream.

Alexander McCream Spiced Pumpkin Ice Cream (courtesy of epicurious)

1 cup whole milk

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 egg yolks

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar

1/3 cup canned pumpkin

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

drop of vanilla extract

Pour the milk and cream into a large saucepan and heat gently, stirring occasionally, until the mixture begins to steam but not boil.

Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks in a heatproof bowl until smooth. Add 1/3 cup of the sugar and whisk until pale and slightly fluffy. Gradually and slowly, pour the hot milk into the egg mixture while whisking continuously to prevent the eggs from scrambling. Return the mixture to the saucepan and place over low heat, stirring frequently, until the custard thinly coats the back of a wooden spoon. Do not let boil.

Pour back into the bowl and set aside for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until cooled to room temperature. For more rapid chilling, fill a sink halfway with cold water and ice and place the bowl of mixture in it for 20 minutes. Never put the hot mixture into the refrigerator.

Put the pumpkin, cinnamon, vanilla extract, remaining sugar into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Add to the chilled custard and whisk well. Pour the mixture into an ice cream machine and churn 
according to the manufacturer's instructions.

When the churning is completed, use a spoon or spatula 
to scrape the ice cream into a freezer-proof container with 
a lid. Freeze until it reaches the correct scooping texture (at least 2 hours).

I am not a huge pumpkin flavored person. I do not wait year around for the pumpkin latte season, but I thought this ice cream was pretty good. My husband said it reminded him of a pumpkin spiced latte from Starbucks. More importantly, people other than my husband (who has to say my ice cream is good) actually thought it was good. One guest asked where the ice cream came from, as well as for seconds. I was proud to think that perhaps he had thought the ice cream was store bought. I would definitely rate this ice cream a success, so if you need a Thanksgiving dessert, it's not too late to try this one now.

Enjoy the pumpkin latte season everybody!

Until next time, keep calm and get your ice cream eating on!