Weekend Cooking: Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream

I have two terrific bloggers to thank for this post:  Candace, who sponsors the Weekend Cooking meme, and Trish who is hosting the October Pin It and Do It challenge.  I am actually writing this in advance of the weekend - a first in many years - and I feel terrific!

It is officially fall, so says the calendar, but weather in the midwest is confusing.  There are mornings when we are greeted with chilly temperatures in the 40s, but then the afternoon highs reach the low 80s.  It is definitely not time to change over the closets to sweaters and turtlenecks, and unfortunately, we shouldn't change our diets to hearty soups and stews.  If anything we need to learn to adapt and just go with the flow.

But I love fall!  I love the rich jewel-tone colors, I love the cozy sweaters and colorful scarves, and I look forward to simmering pots of chili and pumpkin desserts.  I had my heart set on the first pumpkin pie of the season ... but the weather dictated something lighter.  So I wondered.... what about pumpkin pie ice cream?

I did a quick Pinterest search, which yielded several different recipes.  I settled on this one, however, because it seemed the easiest with pure ingredients.  However, as is my typical method... I decided to adapt the recipe from the start.  In fact, I have a feeling I created my own recipe here. but I will give inspirational credit where it is due.

The original Pinterest recipe called for five simple ingredients:

• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1-15 oz can pumpkin puree
• 2 cups heavy cream, chilled
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

But I knew I wanted a pumpkin pie flavor - and the lack of spices in this recipe made me a little nervous.  And while I am trying to cut down on refined sugar, I knew that 1/2 cup would not be enough to satisfy my sweet tooth.

I have a CuisineArt ice cream maker, which came with its own booklet that has a number of tasty recipes.  The one I tend to make most often is Simple Vanilla:

• 1-1/2 cup whole milk (I use 2 cups 2% milk)
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 cups heavy cream  (I use 2.5 cups half and half)
• 1-1/2 Tablespoons vanilla

I decided to combine these two recipes, the one from Pinterest and my adaptation from the manufacturer, and then added 2 Tablespoons -  Pumpkin Pie spice.  Surprisingly, it actually tastes like a creamy version of pumpkin pie!  My version definitely has an "ice milk" texture, which I normally don't mind in order to avoid the fat and cholesterol, but it froze a bit too hard for my taste.  I definitely plan to make this again later this fall, probably using 2-1/2 cups whole milk and 2 cups of heavy cream.

Hmmm.... I just had a thought... I wonder what it would taste like as an a la mode topping for apple pie?  I think I may need to find a pinterest pie recipe this week :)