Pumpkin Ice Cream

FOR THE ICE CREAM

Step 1

Custard: Place 1 1/2 cups (12 fluid ounces / 375 ml) of the cream, brown sugar, and the molasses in a medium saucepan. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and the remaining 1/2 cup (4 fluid ounces / 125 ml) cream until they are well blended and smooth.

Step 2

Temper the Egg Yolks: Place the saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until bubbles form around the edges, the liquid just begins to ripple in the center, and the sugar is dissolved, 4 - 5 minutes. Do not allow to come to a boil. Begin whisking the egg yolk mixture while slowly pouring one-fourth of the hot cream mixture into the yolks. When one-fourth of the hot liquid has been added, slowly pour the warmed yolk mixture back into the saucepan, whisking constantly until well blended. Place the saucepan over medium heat and stir constantly until the mixture has thickened, 4 - 5 minutes.

Step 3

Strain the Custard and add the Pumpkin: Set a fine-mesh sieve over a medium bowl. Pour the hot custard through the sieve, gently pressing the liquid through the sieve into the bowl and leaving any grainy solids in the sieve. Stir in the pumpkin puree and vanilla extract.

Step 4

Chill the Custard: Fill a large mixing bowl halfway with ice cues and enough cold water just to cover the ice cubes. Place the bowl with the custard into the larger bowl and let cool for 30 - 45 minutes. Remove the bowl with the custard and place a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the custard and on top of the bowl. Refrigerate for 3 hours or up to 24 hours.

Step 5

Churn: Prepare an ice cream maker with at least a 1-quart (1 - 1) capacity according to the manufacturer's directions. Remove the plastic wrap from the custard and bowl, pour into the ice cream maker, and churn. About 1 minute before the end of the churning time, add the rum, if you are using it.

Step 6

Finality: Transfer the ice cream to a plastic freezer container, cover tightly, and freeze until firm, at least 3 hours or up to 3 days.

Step 7

Makes 1 quart (1 L)

FOR THE CARAMEL SAUCE (optional)

Step 8

Combination of Ingredients: Place the sugar, water, corn syrup, and lemon juice into a deep 1 1/2 - 2 quart (1 1/2 - to 2 - 1) saucepan (the sauce will will bubble up as it cooks, so make sure the pan is deep enough to keep it from bubbling over). Place the saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly with a long-handled wooden spoon, until the sugar is dissolved and the liquid is bubbling, and no grains of sugar are visible, 1 - 2 minutes. Make sure that the sugar is completely dissolved and the syrup is clear; even a small amount of undissolved sugar may prevent caramelization.

Step 9

Simmer the Caramel: Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a gently boil, occasionally stirring gently. Large bubbles should form all over the surface. If the mixture appears to be darkening unevenly, stir it gently or reduce the heat slightly to prevent scorching. Watch the mixture carefully. As soon as it turns a rich amber, after about 2 - 4 minutes, remove the pan from the heat. The mixture will continue to cook even when it is off the heat.

Step 10

Add the Cream: Protect your hands and arms with oven mitts, add working slowly and carefully, immediately pour the cream into the hot syrup; this will stop the cooking. The hot syrup is likely to bubble up and splatter when you add the cream, so hold the pan away from you while you pour. The threat of bubbling up is another good reason to use a deep saucepan.

Step 11

Stir the Sauce / add Vanilla: Stir the sauce until smooth. If the mixture doesn't become perfectly smooth, place the saucepan over low heat and stir gently until smooth. Add the vanilla extract and stir to blend.

Step 12

Use or store the Sauce: Caramel sauce is a good topping for many frozen desserts. Use the sauce warm for topping pastries or sundaes, or at room temperature for garnishing ice cream sandwiches. (NOTE: the sauce is thicker at room temperature than when it is warm.). To serve the sauce right away, let it cool until it is lukewarm and then ladle over ice cream. Or, let the sauce cool to room temperature, pour into a covered container, and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. The sauce can also be poured into an airtight container and frozen for up to 1 month.

Step 13

Warm or reheat the Sauce, if needed: To use refrigerated sauce at room temperature, remove the container from the refrigerator and let it stand for about 1 hour. Or, if the sauce is frozen, thaw it in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours, then let it stand at room temperature for about 1 hour. To reheat the sauce, place the desired quantity to a small saucepan, over very low heat and warm, stirring often, until it is lukewarm, 3 - 4 minutes. Do not let it boil, which could burn the sauce.

NOTE: Fresh pumpkin puree can be used in this ice cream, but a good quality canned puree is easy to find and will yield more consistent results. If using fresh pumpkin which is almost all the time in my case, you may need to cook the pumpkin down if it's on the watery-side (in a small saucepan) to resemble the consistency of the store-bought.

Tip: Don't mistake canned pumpkin-pie filling, which is sweetened and contains various spices, for pure pumpkin puree. The packaging looks similar and the cans are usually stacked next to one another on the grocer's shelf.