Its cold outside. Autumns here. Most people would NOT be thinking about ice cream, but my obsessed mind always is. I thought I’d attempt a sweetened pumpkin ice cream which would be perfect with a slice of warm, wintery pie on a chilly evening.
Its not a common one, but I like it as I haven’t got a huge sweet tooth. Its wholesome, homemade, pleasing and not too sweet. My mum, who never seems open to the concept of anything alternative in the kitchen, gave me a fearful and timorous glare when I presented it, adding- ‘Is this an invention?’. But don’t fear, its delicious!
- 250g pumpkin butter (see previous recipe)
- 375ml whole milk
- 250ml double cream
- 5 egg yolks
- 1 cinnamon stick
- grating of nutmeg
- pinch cinnamon
- pinch ground ginger
- 80g granulated sugar
- 40g dark brown sugar
- pumpkin seeds
- First, put some ice in a large bowl with some water. Place an empty bowl inside with a sieve in it for later.
- Mix the milk, cream, granulated sugar, cinnamon stick, spices and nutmeg in a saucepan and heat gently, until the mixture begins to bubble at the edges
- Whisk the egg yolks in a separate bowl and when the milk is hot, slowly pour the hot mixture over the yolks, while continuously whisking in order to prevent it going lumpy.
- Return the mixture to the saucepan and heat very gently on a low temperature. Cook gently, stirring all the time with a wooden spoon until thickened and the mixture coats the back of a spoon and leaves a marked trail when you run your finger through it:
- Now, tip the mixture through the sieve into the chilled bowl to remove any lumps and stir in the dark brown sugar.
- Allow the mixture to cool completely in the fridge.
- Once cold, add the pumpkin butter and a splash of vanilla if you like (or booze) and churn in an ice cream maker for about 30 minutes.
I topped mine with pumpkin seed praline! To make this, I heated some caster sugar in a dry pan until it began to melt and turn a pale golden and then immediately removed from the heat, tipped onto some parchment and scattered with pumpkin seeds!
