My mom came over last week, and with her, she brought a pumpkin.
It’s here, I realized. Pumpkin season has begun. It’s not even October (okay tomorrow it will be) and pumpkin spiced-everything has taken over. Instead of fighting it like I usually do, I’ll join you guys, in the best way I know how: with pumpkin ginger ice cream.
I know a lot of people think that the only thing you can do with a pumpkin is carve it and let it rot on your front steps (read: I really hate Halloween), but truth be told, you can actually eat the pumpkin that comes in this strange, natural pumpkin form. The stuff out of the cans, while undeniably much more convenient than starting with the real thing, is actually made of that real thing! Imagine!
So to make pumpkin ginger ice cream, you’re first going to need a pumpkin and some ginger. I’m a purist, so I’m starting with the basics, but I will do no judging if you choose to cheat and buy canned pumpkin (just make sure there is no sugar or other additives).
I chose to make this over the course of two days. Day one: steep the ginger in milk, steam and puree the pumpkin. Day two: make custard, let it chill, then mix it all together and churn it into ice cream. At that point, the ice cream is ready to be eaten, but I prefer letting it firm up overnight. (Oh my god did I really just give you a recipe that takes three days before you can eat it?!? Terrible).
The ice cream is great on its own and goes perfectly with a slice of pie, some coffee or tea, and crunchy leaves. Enjoy!
- 1 small pumpkin, peeled, seeded, and cut into large chunks OR 1½ cups canned pumpkin puree (without sugar or additives)
- 1½ cups whole milk
- 1½ teaspoons ginger, grated
- 6 egg yolks
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon powdered ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- Pinch of salt
- 1½ cups heavy cream, chilled
- Fill a large pot of water with about 2 inches of water and bring to a boil. Place a colander on top of the pot so it is just above but not touching the water. Add pumpkin pieces, cover, and steam for about 10-15 minutes, until pumpkin is soft. Remove from heat and puree in a food processor until smooth. Let cool, then transfer to refrigerator.
- Heat whole milk in a small saucepan over medium heat until just barely boiling. Remove from heat, add grated ginger and cover. Let cool, then steep for at least three hours or up to overnight in refrigerator.
- Strain out ginger from milk. Heat milk over medium low heat until warm.
- Meanwhile, using a stand mixer, beat eggs, sugar, powdered ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and salt until it thickens and starts to turn white, about 3 minutes. Gradually beat in warm milk.
- Pour mixture back into saucepan and return to stovetop. Stirring constantly, cook over medium low heat, until mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat and let chill completely. Once chilled, add 1½ cups pureed pumpkin and heavy cream.
- Churn ice cream based on your ice cream maker manufacturer’s instructions. Eat right away, or freeze overnight for firmer ice cream.
That blue background was a great idea. Those photos are beautiful.
writes narratologistWhy thank you!
writes VickyYum! It looks amazing! What a great idea! :)
writes Sujhey