Pumpkin Ice Cream

Every year I look forward to a local ice cream shop announcing that pumpkin ice cream is back for the season yet every year I keep telling myself that I am just going to make it myself instead. This year was the one that I decided to just make it. A few days ago I hosted an early Thanksgiving dinner for my family and decided I would make a batch of this pumpkin ice cream for a light dessert. Although I definitely could have let the batter spend more time chilling in the fridge I got antsy and churned it anyway. The end results were delicious. Just as I remembered it, yet so much more!


If you ever thought that you might enjoy a frozen pumpkin pie then you would definitely enjoy this ice cream because it tastes exactly like that. The pumpkin flavor is perfect and the amount of spices is right on. I think crushed up graham crackers mixed in would add another great layer of flavor to this already delicious treat. This is definitely a treat that is perfect for the pumpkin lover in any family.


Pumpkin Ice Cream
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma

~ makes about 1 quart~

Ingredients
1 cup fresh pumpkin puree or canned unsweetened pumpkin puree
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
5 egg yolks
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. salt
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
1 Tbs. bourbon

Directions
- In a bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree and vanilla. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or up to 8 hours.
- In a heavy 2-quart saucepan over medium heat, combine 1 1/2 cups of the cream and 1/2 cup of the brown sugar. Cook until bubbles form around the edges of the pan, about 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the egg yolks, cinnamon, ginger, salt, nutmeg, the remaining 1/2 cup cream and the remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar. Whisk until smooth and the sugar begins to dissolve.
- Remove the cream mixture from the heat. Gradually whisk about 1/2 cup of the hot cream mixture into the egg mixture until smooth. Pour the egg mixture back into the pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon and keeping the custard at a low simmer, until it is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon and leaves a clear trail when a finger is drawn through it, 4 to 6 minutes. Do not allow the custard to boil. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl.
- Place the bowl in a larger bowl partially filled with ice water, stirring occasionally until cool. Whisk the pumpkin mixture into the custard. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly on the surface of the custard to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 3 hours or up to 24 hours.
- Transfer the custard to an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. Add the bourbon during the last minute of churning. Transfer the ice cream to a freezer-safe container. Cover and freeze until firm, at least 3 hours or up to 3 days, before serving.

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Last September I made my husband some mint chocolate chip ice cream with real mint, he was very disappointed by it and the entire batch ended up getting thrown away. Ever since then I have been meaning to attempt this ice cream again using peppermint extract instead of real mint. The results this time were much better. The ice cream was beautifully green (thanks to the help of about 10 drops of food coloring) and was exactly the mint flavor that my husband was looking for.


Since this is a Philadelphia style ice cream recipe there are no eggs in the batter thus no cooking is required. Although the taste is not as smooth and creamy and an egg based ice cream this style ice cream gets the job done The good thing about Philadelphia style ice cream is that the ingredients can be mixed together and in the freezer bowl within five minutes. This recipe gets two thumbs up from my house and I am sure I will be making it time and time again.


Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
Adapted from Carries Sweet Life

Ingredients
2 cups 2% milk
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
green food coloring (optional)
1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Directions
In a large bowl, stir together the milk, cream, sugar, salt, vanilla extract and peppermint extract
until the sugar has dissolved. Color to your liking with the green food coloring.

Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker, and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions. After about 10 minutes into the freezing, add the chocolate chips. After the ice cream has thickened, about 30 minutes later, spoon into a container, and freeze for 2 hours.

Daring Bakers Go Flourless

Sorry for the delay in posting this months recipe. Once again life's hectic plans kept me from accomplishing most of the things that I wanted to get done this month. The February 2009 challenge is hosted by Wendy of WMPE's blog and Dharm of Dad ~ Baker & Chef.We have chosen a Chocolate Valentino cake by Chef Wan; a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Dharm and a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Wendy as the challenge.


For the cake, I used some Scharffen Berger dark chocolate that had been sitting in my cabinet waiting for the perfect recipe to come along. Although I do not really care for dark chocolate my husband loves it so this cake was completely for him. I also cut the recipe in half and baked it in a 6" round pan. This recipe was very simple and quick to make and the end results were two thumbs up. I am already planning on making this recipe for Easter so that my gluten-free relatives can enjoy it.


The ice cream recipe that I chose was one that I have heard a lot of raves about lately. I decided to go ahead and try it out, using strawberry cake mix. This was my first time making a "Philadelphia-style" ice cream recipe. For some reason I had an irrational fear that ice cream without the custard base was not real ice cream. Apparently I was over working myself and a glutton for punishment, this style of ice cream is just as delicious as the custard based French-style. Actually this ice cream was so delicious that I think I will start making more recipes just like it. Feel free to check out the other ice cream recipes on my blog.


As always, feel free to visit the Daring Bakers Blogroll and see the beautiful cake and ice cream combinations that the other members made this month.


Chocolate Valentino
Source: Chef Wan

Ingredients
16 ounces (1 pound) semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped
½ cup (1 stick) plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 large eggs, separated

Directions
1. Put chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and set over a pan of simmering water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water) and melt, stirring often.
2. While your chocolate butter mixture is cooling. Butter your pan and line with a parchment circle then butter the parchment.
3. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and put into two medium/large bowls.
4. Whip the egg whites in a medium/large grease free bowl until stiff peaks are formed (do not over-whip or the cake will be dry).
5. With the same beater beat the egg yolks together.
6. Add the egg yolks to the cooled chocolate.
7. Fold in 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture and follow with remaining 2/3rds. Fold until no white remains without deflating the batter.
8. Pour batter into prepared pan, the batter should fill the pan 3/4 of the way full, and bake at 375F/190C
9. Bake for 25 minutes until an instant read thermometer reads 140F/60C. Note – If you do not have an instant read thermometer, the top of the cake will look similar to a brownie and a cake tester will appear wet.
10. Cool cake on a rack for 10 minutes then unmold.

Cake Batter Ice Cream
Adapted from Carries Sweet Life, originally from Delicious Meliscious

Ingredients
1 cup whole milk, well chilled
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 cups heavy cream, well chilled
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2/3 cup cake mix (any flavor you prefer)

Directions
- In a medium bowl, whisk the milk and granulated sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla. Stir in cake mix, making sure there are no lumps.
- Pour mixture into the freezer bowl of your ice cream maker and let mix until it has thickened (about 25-30 minutes).
- Remove ice cream from freezer bowl and place into a separate container. Place freezer bowl and the ice cream into the freezer to further harden.

Vanilla Ice Cream

This past Thursday was my husband's birthday and he told me that all he wanted from me was a German chocolate cake and vanilla ice cream. Of course I wanted to do that for him but I was worried that with my new job and weird hours that it might not be possible. When the schedule was posted for that week I was pleased to see that I was scheduled to have the day of my husbands birthday off. I was so excited and instantly started scheming up a plan on how to surprise him with the cake and ice cream.


I found out that I was off on that particular day because it was the ribbon cutting ceremony for work. This, once again, worked out perfectly. I attended the ceremony during the lunch hour when my husband would be home from work and then returned home after I knew he would be back at work. I churned the ice cream and made the cake and got them done just in time for him to walk in the door. We then went out to dinner with his parents then went back to my house to hang out. I brought my husband out a plate with the cake and ice cream and he was so surprised. It totally made my day that I was able to keep my trap shut and actually surprise him. I did not get any pictures of the cake but I used the Baking Illustrated recipe and the cake was fantastic.


This ice cream was fantastic. Steeping the vanilla bean into the cream really lets the smell and taste of the vanilla shine through. This was the perfect vanilla ice cream recipe and paired wonderfully with the German Chocolate Cake.

By the way, if you are looking for some wonderful vanilla beans at an amazing price check out The Organic Vanilla Bean Company, their products and prices are outstanding.

Vanilla Ice Cream
Source: The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz, page 24

Ingredients
1 cup whole milk
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups heavy cream
Pinch of salt
1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise
6 large egg yolks
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions
Warm the milk, sugar, 1 cup of the cream, and salt in a medium saucepan. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the warm milk and add the bean as well. Cover, remove from the heat, and let steep at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Pour the remaining 1 cup cream into a large bowl and set a mesh strainer on top. In a separate medium bowl. whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.

Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula. Pour the custard through the strainer and stir until cool over an ice bath.

Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator. When ready to churn, remove the vanilla bean, rinsing and reserving for another use, and then freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufactures instructions.

Tin Roof Ice Cream

It has been quite a while since I last made homemade ice cream. I picked up the basic ingredients the other day while I was at the store and then looked through my "The Perfect Scoop" book to find a perfect recipe. :) I decided this Tin Roof ice cream recipe looked perfect. I love the saltiness of peanuts with the sweet creaminess of ice cream. It is such a great combination.


This recipe was very similar to others that I have made before and I think steeping the vanilla into the hot milk mixture brings such a true vanilla flavor to the finished product.


My husband has not tried this yet. Actually, I am not even sure he knows that I made it. I am sure he will agree with me that this was a fantastic flavor of ice cream. Definitely something that I would make again, probably doubling it next time though.


Tin Roof Ice Cream
Source: The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz, page 54

- Makes about 1 1/4 Quarts -

Ingredients
3/4 cup whole milk
3/4 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
4 large egg yolks
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup Chocolate-Covered Peanuts (recipe below)
Fudge Ripple (recipe below)

Directions
Warm the milk, sugar, salt and 1/2 cup (125 ml) of the cream in a medium saucepan. With a sharp paring knife, scrape the flavorful seeds from the vanilla bean and add them, along with the pod, to the hot milk mixture. Cover, remove from the heat, and let steep at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Rewarm the vanilla-infused mixture. Pour the remaining 1 cup (250 ml) cream into a large bowl and set a mesh strainer on top. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.

Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula. Pour the custard through the strainer and stir it into the cream to cool. Remove the vanilla bean, wipe it clean of any egg bits, and add it back to the custard. Stir in the vanilla and stir until cool over an ice bath. Chill thoroughly in the refrigerator.

Then ready to churn the ice cream, remove the vanilla bean (it can be rinsed and reused). Freeze the ice cream in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. While the ice cream is freezing, chop the peanuts into bite-sized pieces. "

Fold the peanut pieces into the frozen ice cream as you remove it from the machine, and layer it with Fudge Ripple.

Chocolate-Covered Peanuts
Source: The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz, page 199

Ingredients
4 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup roasted, unsalted peanuts

Directions
Put the pieces of chocolate in an absolutely dry heat proof bowl. Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water to melt the chocolate, stirring until smooth. In the meantime, stretch a piece of plastic wrap over a dinner plate.

Once the chocolate is melted, remove it from the heat and stir in the peanuts, coating them with the chocolate. Spread the mixture on the plastic-lined plate and chill.

Fudge Ripple
Source: The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz, page 210-211

Ingredients
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup water
6 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions
Whisk together the sugar, corn syrup, water, and cocoa powder in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture begins to bubble at the edges.

Continue to whisk until it just comes to a low boil. Cook for 1 minute, whisking frequently. Remove from the heat, stir in the vanilla, and let cool. Chill in the refrigerator before using.

Mint Chocolate Chip

My husband has been on a major mint chocolate chip ice cream kick lately, which I think is pretty strange saying that he used to say that he didn't like that particular flavor. He really loves the mint chocolate chip from a local ice cream place called Flavor Freeze, but soon it will be cold out and flavor freeze will be closed for the season. Since I am such a nice wife I decided I would go ahead and try my hand at mint chocolate chip ice cream and see how it fares to that of Flavor Freeze.

While I was at Meijer getting the dill for my refrigerator dill pickles I happened to see that they had fresh mint too, YAY jackpot! I grabbed two bunches of it and came home knowing exactly what recipe I was going to make. I was skeptical that he would enjoy this ice cream because it was made with real mint, not the fake mint extract that is typical of this flavor ice cream. But I decided to give it a try anyway. Apparently I wasted my time, he hated the ice cream! I guess I'll have to go buy some mint extract and try again. ::sigh:: In the meantime, who is going to eat this quart of ice cream? Come and pick it up and it's yours.


I really loved how infusing the cream with the mint gave the ice cream a light green hue, it was really pretty. I do want to stress that this is not a bad recipe, it makes excellent ice cream, if you like the flavor of real mint. I would encourage anyone that enjoys fresh real herbs to give this a try, you would not be disappointed!

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
Source: Simply Recipes

Note that if you do not have fresh mint, you can make this mint chocolate chip ice cream recipe with peppermint extract. Skip steps 1 and 2, instead heating 1 cup of milk with 1 cup of cream and the sugar and salt until steaming. Continue with step 3. Add 2 teaspoons of peppermint extract in with the chilled custard mixture in step 6.

Makes 1 quart

Ingredients
3 cups of fresh mint leaves (not stems), rinsed, drained, packed
1 cup milk
2 cups heavy cream (divided, 1 cup and 1 cup)
2/3 cup sugar
A pinch of salt
6 egg yolks
6 ounces semisweet chocolate or dark chocolate, chopped fine, keep in the freezer until used

Directions
1. Put the mint leaves in a heavy saucepan with the 1 cup of milk and 1 cup of the cream. Heat until just steaming (do not let boil), remove from heat, cover, and let stand for 30 minutes. Reheat the mixture until steaming, remove from heat and let stand for 15 more minutes.
2. While the mint is infusing in step 1, prepare the remaining cream over an ice bath. Pour the remaining 1 cup of cream into a medium size metal bowl, set in ice water (with lots of ice) over a larger bowl. Set a mesh strainer on top of the bowls. Set aside.
3. Strain the milk cream mixture into a bowl, pressing against the mint leaves with a rubber spatula in the sieve to get the most liquid out of them. Return the milk cream mixture to the saucepan. Add sugar and salt to the mixture. Heat until just steaming again, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat.
4. Whisk the egg yolks in a medium sized bowl. Slowly pour the heated milk cream mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly so that the egg yolks are tempered by the warm mixture, but not cooked by it. Scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.
5. Return the saucepan to the stove, stirring the mixture constantly over medium heat with a wooden spoon, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spoon so that you can run your finger across the coating and have the coating not run. This can take about 10 minutes. When the custard base coats the back of the spoon. You can run your finger across the coating and have it not run. It is ready and should be removed from heat immediately, and poured through the sieve over the ice bath to stop the cooking.
6. Pour the custard through the strainer (from step 2) and stir into the cold cream to stop the cooking.
7. Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator (at least a couple of hours) or stir the mixture in the bowl placed over the ice bath until thoroughly chilled (20 minutes or so). Freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.
8. Once the ice cream has been made in the ice cream maker it should be pretty soft. Gently fold in the finely chopped chocolate. Put in an airtight container and place in the freezer for at least an hour, preferably several hours. If it has been frozen for more than a day, you may need to let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes to soften it before serving.

Note that there is no alcohol in this recipe. A few teaspoons of some spirits such as rum or bourbon will help keep the ice cream soft over several days. Even the alcohol in vanilla extract will help. If you have no added alcohol in a homemade ice cream recipe, we recommend that you eat it up quickly, in a day or two; beyond that point the ice cream will quickly get very very hard.

I Scream, You Scream...

.. we all scream for ICE CREAM!! Remember the other day when I made the angel food cake and I promised an update of ice cream? Well today is your lucky day, I was able to finish my ice cream and oh my word it is amazing. Although the prep dirtied more dishes than I would care to admit this was so very easy to make. The hardest part of the entire process was waiting for the mixture to cool so I could put it in my ice cream machine and then waiting for it to freeze completely in the freezer. I guess I am just proud that I found a use for most of my egg yolks and only threw away 4 out of the 12. Perhaps next time I should make another half batch of this recipe so I do not have to throw anything away. :)


For a fun twist on regular chocolate ice cream I threw in some mini marshmallows and almonds and called it Rocky Road.
This stuff is seriously sinful and would be just as good without the addition of the vanilla.


Chocolate Ice Cream
Source: Alton Brown via FoodNetwork.com

Ingredients
1 1/2 ounces unsweetened cocoa powder, approximately 1/2 cup
3 cups half-and-half
1 cup heavy cream
8 large egg yolks
9 ounces sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Directions
Place the cocoa powder along with 1 cup of the half-and-half into a medium saucepan over medium heat and whisk to combine. Add the remaining half-and-half and the heavy cream. Bring the mixture just to a simmer, stirring occasionally, and remove from the heat.

In a medium mixing bowl whisk the egg yolks until they lighten in color. Gradually add the sugar and whisk to combine. Temper the cream mixture into the eggs and sugar by gradually adding small amounts, until about 1/3 of the cream mixture has been added. Pour in the remainder and return the entire mixture to the saucepan and place over low heat. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon and reaches 170 to 175 degrees F. Pour the mixture into a container and allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Stir in the vanilla extract. Place the mixture into the refrigerator and once it is cool enough not to form condensation on the lid, cover and store for 4 to 8 hours or until the temperature reaches 40 degrees F or below.

Pour into an ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer's directions. This should take approximately 25 to 35 minutes. Serve as is for soft serve or freeze for another 3 to
4 hours to allow the ice cream to harden.