Olive oil, fresh orange juice, and saffron are the big hitters here, but don't forget about the white palette of milk, cream, cream cheese, corn syrup, salt, sugar, and corn starch!

There's not much of either in the recipe, but the whisked-together salt and cream cheese are important to this ice cream base.

Amanda helpfully holds the bowl while Merrill preps a corn starch slurry.

Then they theatrically pour milk and cream into a saucepan -- so much expression in those hands!

Regular old granulated sugar will dissolve into the mix and add sweetness.

And just a taste of corn syrup will smooth out the base while it's being frozen.

After a few minutes of steady boiling, the corn starch is added to thicken the base.

When it coats the back of a spoon, it's ready.

After whisking the hot cream into the cream cheese base, add the olive oil in a beautiful spiraling swirl. (Just kidding -- pouring it in normally works too.)

And be sure to crush the saffron threads with your fingertips before adding to maximize its flavor.

The base is ready for a quick cool-down in the ice bath. While it rests, it's time to make caramel.

Be sure to use freshly squeezed and strained orange juice -- you don't want pulp here, but starting with oranges instead of a carton helps.

After adding the sugar, don't forget just a pinch of salt.

Now boil -- no stirring! -- until the caramel becomes honey-colored. (As you can see, we went a little too far here.)

Pour in the cream carefully -- it'll foam up, but keep stirring and the sauce will calm down.

That ice bath comes in handy, eh?

When the ice cream is thick, creamy, and fully frozen, it's time to get layering.

In a pint container, start layering: first ice cream, then a healthy drizzle of caramel.

Now ice cream again...

...and caramel again, until you've filled your container. Now give it a few hours in the freezer to all come together.

Perfect caramel swirls, ready to eat.

Cardamom, cloves, black peppercorns, cinnamon, vanilla, ginger, and Darjeeling tea, along with the milk that they'll infuse and the earthy kabocha squash.

Merrill halves the gorgeous squash in one fell swoop.

With the seeds removed, it's into the oven for 40 minutes or so of roasting.

Amanda whips out her beloved meat pounder to lightly crush the spices and ginger used in the chai milk base.

There's something so satisfying about scraping every last bit from the inside of a vanilla bean, don't you think?

You could stop right here and make some fanastic chai, but we have bigger ideas in mind for this milk.

A half-hour or so of simmering and steeping later, the spiced milk is ready.`

Meanwhile, the squash is fully cooked and ready to puree. A sturdy spoon should be enough to scoop out its insides.

A food processor makes quick work of the squash's orange flesh -- no lumps, no mashing.

You'll need just a cup of the smooth puree. (The rest would make a great side dish come dinner time.)

As per Jeni's ice cream base, two tablespoons of the chai milk are whisked into corn starch.

In another bowl, Merrill stirs together cream cheese, salt, maple syrup, and the kabocha puree while Amanda keeps her company.

Moving on, together they add sugar, cream, and the rest of the chai milk base to a heavy saucepan.

Just a bit of corn syrup keeps the ice cream base from crystallizing when it's time to freeze.

Bring it all to a rolling boil -- and we mean rolling -- for a full four minutes.

The cornstarch slurry is added off the heat, then the whole mix goes back on the stove to thicken, which takes just a minute or so.

With no eggs to worry about tempering, it's time to whisk the hot cream into the kabocha mixture.

It's always good to have an extra pair of hands in the kitchen...

...Just ask Amanda and Merrill.

When the base is completely cool -- don't worry, the ice bath makes quick work of this -- it's ready for a spin in the ice cream maker.

The perfect fall dessert.