Fall is finally here. I have been waiting patiently for the weather to change. I am not the biggest fan of summer with all the heat. Every year, I just want fall to come, and this year, summer seemed to drag on forever. But, I finally got to take out my sweaters and make a cup of hot tea because I was cold not tired. This is the best time of the year in my humble opinion.
Since it’s October 1st, I wanted to kick off the month with a pumpkin dessert. I have been having my pumpkin coffee since August, but it now feels socially acceptable. I only get about two pumpkin spice lattes every year, but I do love them, and I love all things pumpkin spice…within reason. So, I decided to turn PSL into ice cream.
I tested this recipe with all heavy cream, because it was what I had. You can use part milk if you’d like, but I liked how lusciously creamy it turned out. This ice cream has a wonderful coffee flavor, but if you do not like coffee, you can just omit the espresso. Who’s ready for PSL season?
Ingredients
- 4 cups heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons instant espresso
- 8 egg yolks
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
24 hours in advance of churning: place ice cream maker bowl in the freezer.
(Also in advance): In a medium saucepan, gently bring cream to a boil over medium heat, but do not stir. Remove from heat immediately. Add instant espresso and stir until it dissolves. Set aside.
Whisk together egg yolks and sugar until the mixture is light in color and texture. The mixture should make “ribbons” in the bowl when falling from the whisk. Add pumpkin, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice and whisk together until smooth.
Using a small ladle, add small amounts of the hot milk to the bowl with the egg mixture. Whisk to combine. Continue adding milk and repeat process. As you temper the egg mixture (when the cold mixture turns lukewarm) you can add larger amounts of the milk at a time. Continue this process until all the milk in incorporated.
Strain mixture back into medium saucepan. (Use a new pan or wipe out the pan if the milk scorched at all). Heat ice cream base over medium-low heat until the temperature reaches 165 F. The mixture should thicken slightly and coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
Transfer cooled ice cream base to airtight containers and chill in the fridge for several hours, up to overnight. The mixture needs to be very cold when it enters the ice cream machine.
When base is chilled and bowl is frozen, churn the ice cream according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer to airtight containers and freeze for at least six hours, but preferably overnight before serving. This ice cream is great topped with fresh whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon.
Catie Cooks 