Pumpkin's everywhere this time of year, so naturally I've been making it a point to squeeze a little more of the gourd into my recipe rotation. Last month, it was a little pumpkin banana bread (holy yum), and most recently, some slightly less satisfying pumpkin oatmeal muffins. Note to self: More honey.
Last weekend, while I was eating my way through New York City with a few gal pals, my husband was back home experimenting with our ice cream maker. After previous batches of peach, chocolate chip and vanilla were a rousing success with the wife and kids, he settled on pumpkin this time - which I was obviously more than happy to sample upon my return.
Delicious hardly describes it, you guys. This ice cream is so wonderfully rich and satisfying, you must not keep it to yourself. Please make this for your next Friendsgiving. Make it for your work potluck. Netflix and chill with it. Just eat it as soon as possible.
Here's how it goes down.
First up, you need vanilla ice cream. This is the base. You can substitute homemade for the store bought variety, of course, but when my husband commits to something, he's all in, so here's the 411 on his homemade vanilla first.
Vanilla Ice Cream Ingredients:
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup white sugar
- pinch of salt
- 3 cups milk
- 1 ½ cups evaporated milk
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup water
Beat eggs in large bowl until foamy. Whisk in sugar until thickened. Gradually whisk in salt, milks, vanilla and water. Pour into freezer canister of ice cream maker. Place aluminum canister in center of bucket and layer the bucket with ice and salt. The motor does the rest. (If you're going low-tech, here are 6 ways to make ice cream without a machine.) This makes about ½ gallon.
Now, while your vanilla's goin' about its business, go ahead and prep that pumpkin while whistling along to that Tom Waits classic. You know the one. (This is what I pictured Mr. Wonderful doing when he made it.)
Pumpkin Ice Cream Ingredients:
- 1 can pumpkin (15 oz.)
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ gallon vanilla ice cream, softened
In a separate bowl, combine the canned pumpkin, sugar and spices. Mix until well blended and then fold into vanilla ice cream. Serve topped with pumpkin seeds, if you so desire. Makes about 1 gallon of self-gratification.