Pumpkin pie ice cream

I had my first taste of pumpkin ice cream a few years ago at a local ice cream shop. Ever since then, we go there each year in early October when they first have it available and get a dish.  

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When I got my ice cream maker this year, pumpkin pie ice cream was at the top of my list, even though it was only spring. I've waited patiently until now and finally made my own. 

This ice cream is fall in a dish - it's basically like frozen pumpkin pie filling without the crust. I read a few recipes and found that they were all really low on the pumpkin for my liking and all contained a lot of egg yolks. 

I decided to forgo the eggs and really pack in the pumpkin so I could taste it. The pumpkin is already creamy, and the end product was perfect for me in terms of pumpkin flavor. This ice cream is not super sweet, so taste the base before you freeze it and add more brown sugar or even a tablespoon of molasses if you want it sweeter.

I'm so glad to know that I can make ice cream now with only a few simple ingredients and not all the additives and artificial flavors that are in most commercial ice creams. 

I've been loving my ice cream maker this year and even have a wintery ice cream flavor or two that I'm hoping to try near the holidays. This recipe will make a bit more than a quart of ice cream. It's great topped with chocolate sauce (we had ours with a homemade chocolate sauce, not pictured) or caramel. I think that some ginger snap cookies broken up into it or on top would also be delicious (and act like a crust).

Pumpkin pie ice cream
2 cups pumpkin puree
1 cup sweetened condensed milk
1-1/2 cups whole milk
1/4 cup packed brown sugar 
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
pinch of fine sea salt  

Whisk together all of the ingredients in a medium metal bowl until well-combined and the sugar dissolves. Refrigerate for about two hours or until well chilled.*

Churn and freeze in an ice cream maker according to instructions. When frozen and at your desired consistency, you can eat it immediately (it will be like soft serve), or freeze in a freezer container for a few hours to harden. [A trick I have learned is to press some wax paper flush onto the ice cream before transferring into the freezer to help ice crystals from forming. Simply peel it off before scooping]. Remove from the freezer about 5-10 minutes before scooping.

*You may want to strain though a fine sieve to remove any large pieces of spices and/or if you used homemade pumpkin puree and it's not completely smooth. This is optional and I didn't do it; however, the ice cream was slightly granular, but fine for our liking.