Pumpkin Craze

Back to pumpkin.  You all know (or you should know) that I love pumpkin.  In the last few weeks, I made pumpkin chocolate chip cake twice and pumpkin brown butter cupcakes with cream cheese frosting (yum)...they didn't make it to the blog.  Last night, I had a bunch of friends over for dinner and game night.  I made spinach artichoke dip, guacamole, pico de gallo, corn salsa, and fried plantains for appetizers; baked ziti, meatballs, and garlic bread for dinner; and a pumpkin banana mousse tart and homemade pumpkin ice cream for dessert.  Marie brought an amazing salad (I know, I hate salad...but this one was awesome) and Mike brought a sweet potato pecan pie (yum!).

This torte was a little different for me.  It was the first time ever that I used a springform pan....well, I guess that's the only difference.  I really thought that the banana would overpower the pumpkin, bu it didn't....in fact, I think the pumpkin overpowered the banana.

I've never posted a recipe before, but this ice cream was so good that it would be sinful for me not to post it.  Yes, I realize it has no eggs, but don't turn your nose up just yet.  It's actually much easier to make without having to temper the eggs (you will have done that once already in the pumpkin torte).  If you have to have eggs, I would think it would be just fine to use your regular vanilla ice cream base and then add the pumpkin and spices as directed.  Hope you try it (and by you, I mean KMK, since she's the only person who reads my blog who even has an ice cream maker).

Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream

Ingredients

• 4 cups half and half
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 2 vanilla beans
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 7.5 oz canned pumpkin
• 1 tsp. nutmeg
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp. ground cloves

Directions

Combine all dairy into a saucepan along with the sugar. Split and scrape the vanilla beans into the dairy and sugar mixture. Bring to 170 degrees F. to dissolve sugar then let cool at room temperature. Chill in the refrigerator overnight. While dairy is heating, grate nutmeg into pumpkin and add the other spices. Mix in a bowl to combine and chill overnight in the refrigerator. The next day, take pumpkin and dairy mixture out. Filter dairy mixture to remove large vanilla bean pieces. Add some of the dairy mixture to the pumpkin and mix well to loosen it up. Then mix both the dairy and pumpkin together. Freeze in your ice cream freezer according to the manufacturer's instructions. Let the ice cream harden for at least two hours unless serving all immediately.