Pumpkin ice cream with salted caramel sauce and Cantonese-style nuts

The title of this recipe includes several autumn elements, such as pumpkin and walnuts. Virginia, from the food blog Sweet&Sour, has combined them to keep them cold... creating an ice cream that is an absolute delight!

This time she uses the Kitchen Aid to make this creamy pumpkin ice cream, and she shows us that ice cream is no longer reserved for summer, becoming not only a delicious dessert but also a great representation of seasonal produce. Here’s the recipe.

Who said ice cream is only for summer? Big mistake, at least in my humble opinion. I usually make ice cream year-round, especially taking advantage of seasonal ingredients. My family appreciates it, and they also enjoy flavors that would otherwise almost certainly be lost.

Like this ice cream that tastes like pure autumn, loaded with spices, with that salted caramel drizzle and those candied walnuts. I’m convinced it pairs wonderfully with cozy sofa-and-blanket afternoons, even if that sounds contradictory.

Maybe I haven’t convinced you, but I’m sure that if you dare to try it, you’ll remember these words and say "how right she was...".

It’s also perfect for finishing any light meal, or for treating yourself once in a while.

I made it with the KitchenAid ice cream attachment, thanks to which I have ice cream all year long. One of the KitchenAid accessories I find most useful. In 20-25 minutes we have the ice cream we want ready to enjoy. You just have to make sure to keep the freezer bowl in the freezer 24 hours beforehand. In my case, except when I make ice cream, I always keep it there, and I have ice cream whenever I feel like it.

Let’s get to the recipe which is very simple, made with the Butternut variety also called Peanut, which has a slightly sweet note and a nutty aftertaste that goes wonderfully with the spice mix.

Ingredients

For the ice cream: (Makes approx 1 liter)

• 1 Butternut pumpkin of approx 1 kg.

• 250 ml heavy cream 35% fat

• 250 ml Whole Milk

• 150 gr. light brown sugar

• 1 Tsp fresh grated ginger or, if not available, ground ginger

• 5 egg yolks

• 1 Tsp ground cinnamon

• 1/4 Tsp common salt

• 1/8 Tsp ground nutmeg

• Salted Caramel Sauce

• Candied Walnuts

• Crumbled Speculoos or another spiced cookie, ground

* 1 Tsp equals 1 teaspoon (5 ml) and 1 Tbsp equals 1 tablespoon (15 ml).

Preparation

We start by roasting the pumpkin:

Preheat the oven to 200ºC.

Fill an ovenproof dish with about a finger of water. Set aside.

Cut the pumpkin in half, top to bottom. Remove the seeds and any fibers and leave the flesh clean. If you roast the seeds they can be a snack, a garnish for preparations, or added to breads.

Brush the flesh of each pumpkin half with a layer of AOVE. Place in the baking dish flesh-side up and put into the preheated oven for about 50 minutes, or until a knife tip meets no resistance. Time will depend on the size of the pumpkin used.

After this time remove from the oven and let cool. Scoop out the pumpkin flesh with a spoon; it will come out easily, becoming like real butter.

Purée it until smooth. Reserve 250 gr. of this purée, which is the amount used for this recipe. The rest can be frozen or stored in the fridge for up to three days for other preparations.

Now for the ice cream base:

KitchenAid stand mixer and KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment

In a medium saucepan mix the milk, cream, 100 gr. of the sugar and the grated ginger until the sugar dissolves and the mixture just begins to boil.

In a bowl mix the egg yolks, the remaining sugar, the salt, the cinnamon and the grated nutmeg. If using ground ginger add it here as well.

When the milk mixture reaches boiling point, pour it in a thin stream over the yolk mixture, stirring constantly so the yolks do not curdle from the heat. Once well combined, pour it back into the saucepan and, stirring continuously over medium heat, cook until the custard thickens enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon and when you draw a horizontal line with your finger it keeps the edges of the line.

Remove from heat and mix in the reserved pumpkin purée.

Let the mixture cool slightly, cover with cling film making sure the film touches the surface of the custard to prevent a skin, and refrigerate for several hours. Better overnight. The flavors settle.

KitchenAid stand mixer and KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment

Once the mixture is cold, transfer it to our KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker and churn for 20-25 minutes at speed 1. After that time, the ice cream will be ready; not only will it have cooled, but it will have tripled in volume from the air incorporated by the rotating paddles, and it will be as creamy as you can see in the pictures.

Transfer to a metal container covered with cling film and then to the freezer for 2-3 hours to firm up.

Serve drizzled with salted caramel sauce, chopped candied walnuts and crumbled speculoos.

An absolute delight, totally addictive!!!

Enjoy.