Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream (and a Baby!)

Oh hi there. Remember me? I know it's been a while. But you see, I've been just slightly distracted with the most amazing thing in world. Do you see what I'm holding in this photo? It's our son, Dallas! He's as cute as a button and growing like a weed. Patrick and I are so incredibly in love with our little guy! We started our adoption journey last December, not knowing what the future held for us. We had no idea that less than a year later we'd be holding our sweet son in our arms. We couldn't be happier!

So as you can imagine, things have been quite busy around here lately with "Big D." Trying to create a routine for a newborn is about as easy as herding cats sometimes - actually maybe more like trying to catch a seagull.... Oh and did I mention we are in the middle of adding on to our house?! All I have to say is thank God for coffee! 

photo by Angela Sackett

So, what does a new baby have to do with deliciously sweet Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream? Um.. EVERYTHING. The holidays are right around the corner. Sheesh! I can't believe how time flies. Now I want the holidays to be extra, extra special. But with Big D in our life, I have to use my kitchen time efficiently. Luckily, I've got some great holiday recipes that I can depend on and I want to share them with you! They are ridiculously delicious and strategically designed to keep you out of the kitchen when in counts. 

Like my pumpkin pie ice cream. Mmmmmm. Just the sound of it is delicious, right? And trust me, people go crazy for it! This was a very fun recipe to test. Patrick and I ate quite a few batches of it...for uh, research purposes... Oh man, it's divine. It's like biting into a big piece of homemade pumpkin pie. Try it, you won't regret it. It's definitely on my list to make for this year's Thanksgiving dessert table!

[Gluten-Free] Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream

My whole family has an affinity for ice cream. And for the holidays, they always devour my homemade pumpkin pie. So one day I decided to combine the two. When I brought this to the table, my family gave me a round of applause. Seriously, it's that good.

Makes 1 quart

1 ½ cups milk

1 whole vanilla bean

2 egg yolks

¾ cup sugar

1 cup pumpkin puree

¾ teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon salt

1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream

In a large saucepan, heat milk over medium heat until it’s just about to boil. Place the vanilla bean in the warm milk and turn off the heat. Leave it to steep for 20 minutes. 

Remove the vanilla bean and any film that has formed over the milk. Slice the bean down the middle and run your knife along the inside of the bean, removing all the seeds. Add the seeds to the milk and whisk to combine. Discard the vanilla bean.

In a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks, sugar, pumpkin puree, cinnamon, ginger, and salt. Slowly whisk in milk until combined. Pour the mixture back into the large saucepan. Cook over medium heat until it thickens enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, about 10 minutes, stirring almost constantly. Remove from heat and let it cool.

Once cooled, stir in cream and refrigerate until cold, about 30 minutes. Strain it through a metal sieve twice before pouring into an ice cream maker (don’t skip this step, it makes for really smooth ice cream). Freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions (mine usually takes 20 minutes). Then transfer to a plastic container and freeze until firm, about 2-3 hours. Allow it to thaw out slightly before serving. Enjoy!

Lauren Marie’s Make-Ahead Tip:

*Make this recipe up to a week in advance. Just make sure no one eats it all before you get a chance to serve it!

recipe courtesy: laurenmarieglutenfree.com

photo by Angela Sacket