Pumpkin Bourbon Ice Cream

  

Ingredients: pumpkin puree, heavy cream, egg yolks, bourbon, vanilla extract, brown sugar, ground nutmeg, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, salt

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'Tis the season to be pumpkin-ing. This could be your Thanksgiving dessert in itself - it's pretty rich and would be awesome with a vanilla bean whipped cream. It actually tastes like a pumpkin pie, a pumpkin cheesecake, and a shot of bourbon all at once! Ice cream making can be tricky when alcohol is involved as it has a very high freezing point and tends to inhibit the churning process. The key is to add the liquor literally at the very last minute of churning and then placing it in the freezer for a couple hours to allow it to set. 

People are always surprised to hear of homemade ice cream and don't realize how easy it is. I've got a Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker that does all the work. The main trick is getting the custard and ice cream base just right over the stove, making sure your egg yolks don't curdle or scramble when combined with the cream. Once you've got that down, you can make any flavor combination you want.

This has a gorgeous deep-orange/cinnamon color and is perfect for fall. Would be great with a warm apple cider as well. Recipe courtesy of Williams Sonoma.