Pumpkin Ice Cream Help

[jenhen2]

I've been trying to figure out how to make delicious pumpkin ice cream. Yesterday, I made a basic vanilla ice cream base (custard, from Cooks Illustrated), and then added a can of pureed pumpkin and spices (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg). The mix tasted absolutely delicious! I put the mix in the ice cream maker (Kitchenaid attachment) and churned it.

The soft serve-consistency that came out of the machine was very good. Not quite as good as the base un-churned, but still, pretty much what I was looking for. Then, I froze the ice cream overnight. The next day, it was rock solid, and when I tried to scoop it, it came apart in little chuncks (not a whole creamy scoop) and tasted icy. My husband says it has a weird texture and he's sticking to the Benn & Jerry's.

I'd really like to make a great pumpkin ice cream this season, so if you have tips, tricks or recipes, please let me know. Thank You!

[tastycakes]

try reducing the amount of pumpkin puree. you don't need a lot to carry the flavor and the texture will be better.

[StheJ]

I'm having this problem too... I've made three batches. One with canned pumpkin puree and two with fresh roasted pumpkin puree, one with brown sugar and one with white... The fresh pumpkin batches tasted best with the brown sugar batch being favored. I added rum to the canned pumpkin batch, but it really didn't help the hardness issue and was clearly inferior in terms of taste.

I think that because there is so much plant matter in the mix, you either have to make it day of and serve it at the soft serve stage or let it thaw out for 30 minutes or more before serving.

[Bryn]

Try Adding Skim milk powder or whey powder to your ice cream. The extra protein acts as a stabilizer so that more air can be incorporated into your ice cream giving you a lighter more scoopable ice cream. I found whipping the mix in a blender or a mix master works for incorporating air too.

[HillJ]

http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archives...

In my opinion, David is the master. Follow this recipe to the letter and your husband will be kicking B&J's to the curb. Have fun!

[nofunlatte]

Have you made this, HillJ? I'm asking, because the photos make it appear as if the ice cream is chunky, as jenhen2 notes. I've made some of DL's recipes before and they are very good, but I've never made pumpkin.

That said, that is one well endowed squash in that photo ;)

[HillJ]

hi nofunlatte! Yes, I've made this version several times. The best tip I can offer in achieving a smooth mouth feel is to add the liqueur which keeps the freeze crystals at bay and in the early process of freezer holding, stir the pumpkin custard every 15 mins to achieve a whip/added air.

LOL...that squash is impressive!

[nofunlatte]

Thanks! This might be my T-Day dessert!

[HillJ]

Good for you! I've also tried the recipe with sweet potatoes, acorn squash and coconut milk and the recipe as written is my favorite.

[jenhen2]

Thanks all. This recipe is very similar to the one I made, but without the liquor, which I will try. Additionally, I added the whole can of pumpkin which was maybe too much and caused the iciness. I'll just have to eat what I made and then try again! That's the fun of it!! Thanks again!

[jsaimd]

You can try cooking the pumpkin filling to further dry it out. Remember - the cream/milk has water in it. You can also use cornstarch to bind water or dried milk or gums. I use all methods from time to time.

You can melt what you have made and add in dried milk to see if that helps.