Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream

 

 

 

 

Whoever said homemade ice cream was just for summer is completely wrong. I believe there is never a wrong time for homemade ice cream. I am bringing this to Thanksgiving this year, and I think my cousin Hannah is capable of eating the entire batch by herself. It tastes just like pumpkin pie and it would be delicious in a gingerbread crust for an ice cream pie. I hope you enjoy!

6 large egg yolks
3/4 cup brown sugar, divided
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1 1/4 cups 2% milk
1/2 t salt
1/2 t ground ginger
1/2 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t vanilla

Begin by whisking the yolks with half the brown sugar (6T), cinnamon, and ginger in a heatproof bowl just until the yolks are broken. Set aside. In a saucepan, bring the cream, milk, pumpkin, salt, and remaining sugar to a slight simmer over medium-high heat. Then, reduce the heat to medium. Scoop out roughly 1/2 cup of the cream mixture, and while constantly whisking the eggs, add the the cream mixture. Do this again one more time. Then, using a rubber spatula, stir the remaining creaming mixture in the saucepan while you add in the egg mixture. Over medium heat, stir the mixture constantly until it thickens. This will only take a couple of minutes. Next, using a fine-mesh strainer, strain the base into a separate bowl. Place this in an ice bath and stir occasionally until the base has cooled. Then cover the mixture and refrigerate over night. The next day, whisk in the vanilla and follow the directions on your ice cream machine.

Salted Caramel Ice Cream

My favorite “food” in the entire world is by far caramel. When I was younger, I would open up the jar of caramel in the fridge and eat it by the spoonful. My mom knows not to buy hard caramel candies, because I will eat them all in an entire sitting. With that being said, when I found this ice cream recipe, there was no doubt in my mind  that I had to make it. I would be depriving my taste buds if I didn’t make it. My niece came over and when she tasted this ice cream, her eyes got really big because she loved it so much.

Making caramel is tricky though, and you need to be careful not to burn the sugar. When you begin this, you cannot walk away from the stove. Have everything ready and measured out so you do not have to worry about your ice cream tasting burnt. Another key is to make sure the heavy cream is at room temperature. I cannot emphasize this enough. If you use cold, straight from the refrigerate cream, this will cause the sugar to instantly harden and you will be left with a sticky mess in your pan.

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups heavy cream, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup 2% milk
1t salt
5 large egg yolks

Begin by preparing the egg yolks and 1/4 cup of sugar in a heatproof bowl. You want to just barely whisk the eggs until they are broken. Set this aside. Make sure the heavy cream is measured out and by the stove so it is ready when you need it. In a saucepan, over medium-high heat, put 2 tablespoons of the sugar into the pan. Allow the sugar to melt around the edges and turn a slight amber color. When this happens, stir the sugar gently and add another 2 tablespoons of the sugar into the pan. Continue this until 1/2 cup of the sugar has been caramelized, stirring frequently and watching it carefully as the sugar darkens. When it turns a mahogany color, remove from the heat. Slowly add the cream and wait until the bubbling stops to gently stir to blend the cream and caramel together. If you have chunks of caramel, place the pan over low heat and stir until smooth. When it is completely smooth, add in the milk and salt and bring to a bare simmer. Then, using a rubber spatula, stir the remaining creaming mixture in the saucepan while you add in the egg mixture. Over medium heat, stir the mixture constantly until it thickens. This will only take a couple of minutes. Next, using a fine-mesh strainer, strain the base into a heatproof container. Place this in an ice bath and stir occasionally until the base has cooled. Then cover the mixture and refrigerate over night. The next day, follow the directions on your ice cream machine.

 

Peanut Butter Ice Cream with Fudge Swirl

My brother-in-law loves peanut butter more than anyone else I have ever met. If he could eat peanut butter cups for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, he probably would. When I found this recipe the first thought that came to mind was “Matthew would eat this in one whole sitting.” When I was making the base, I texted him and, of course, he showed up after dinner to taste test and give his stamp of approval.

This recipe is very easy, but you cannot turn your back. If there is one thing I could recommend, it would be to have all the ingredients measured and set out by the stove.

Peanut Butter Ice Cream Ingredients:

5 large egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar, divided
1/3 cup smooth peanut butter
1 3/4 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup 2% milk
1/2 t salt

 

Fudge Swirl Ingredients:

1/2 cup + 2T sugar
1/2 cup water
6T Dutch-processed cocoa
1/4 cup corn syrup
1 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/2t vanilla

 

Making the ice cream:

Begin by whisking the yolks with half the sugar (6T) in a heatproof bowl just until the yolks are broken. Set aside. In a separate heat proof bowl, place the 1/3 cup of peanut butter. Set aside. In a saucepan, bring the cream, milk, salt, and remaining sugar to a slight simmer over medium-high heat. Then, reduce the heat to medium. Scoop out roughly 1/2 cup of the cream mixture, and while constantly whisking the eggs, add the the cream mixture. Do this again one more time. Then, using a rubber spatula, stir the remaining creaming mixture in the saucepan while you add in the egg mixture. Over medium heat, stir the mixture constantly until it thickens. This will only take a couple of minutes. Next, using a fine-mesh strainer, strain the base into the bowl with the peanut butter and stir until combined. Place this in an ice bath and stir occasionally until the base has cooled. Then cover the mixture and refrigerate over night. The next day, follow the directions on your ice cream machine. When transferring to the container that you will be storing the ice cream in, drizzle some of the fudge sauce after every couple of spoons, then use a butter knife to gently swirl the mixture.

Making the fudge swirl:

In a sauce pan, whisk together the sugar, water, corn syrup, cocoa and salt over medium-high heat until mixture comes to a simmer. When the sugar has completely dissolved, remove the sauce from the heat and add in the bittersweet chocolate. Let the chocolate sit for a minute then whisk until smooth. Finally, whisk in the vanilla and transfer to a small Tupperware and place in the refrigerate. Make sure the fudge sauce is cold when you are swirling it into the ice cream.