Make Ahead

Pumpkin Ice Cream with Pecan Praline Sauce

by:
August 27, 2012
0
0 Ratings
  • Makes a loaf pan full of ice cream
Author Notes

It's almost Fall. Bring on the pumpkins! I love the caramel sauce I made for my banana-peanut butter ice cream so much, that I wanted to create another flavor combination where it would shine, and to keep myself from eating it directly out of the jar. I think it works very nicely with the pumpkin ice cream. Ice cream recipe inspired by pumpkin pie and adapted from the L.A. Times recipe Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream with Pecan Praline. Sauce recipe is adapted from The Kitchn’s Salted Coffee Caramel Sauce. —mrslarkin

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Ingredients
  • for the pumpkin ice cream
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup skim milk
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg
  • pinch of kosher salt, or more to taste
  • 4 large egg yolks
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar, or more to taste
  • 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons bourbon
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla paste
  • for the pecan praline sauce
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar, or light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt (or more to taste)
  • 2 teaspoons bourbon, or vanilla extract
  • 1 cup toasted pecans, slightly broken up
Directions
  1. for the pumpkin ice cream
  2. Heat the pumpkin puree, cream, milk and spices in a saucepan over medium/low heat. When the mixture starts steaming, turn off the heat and let sit while you are working on the next step.
  3. Whisk together the egg yolks and sugars until lighter in color. Temper the eggs by stirring in a few ladle-fuls of the hot cream mixture little by little, then pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan with the cream. Turn the heat to medium/low again and stir until the mixture thickens slightly. Remove from the heat. Stir in the bourbon and vanilla paste. Let custard cool, then chill in refrigerator for at least a few hours.
  4. Pour chilled mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. When the ice cream has reached soft serve consistency, spread into a loaf pan. Place ice cream in freezer until hardened.
  5. Remove from freezer about 15 minutes before serving to soften the ice cream.
  6. Warm the pecan praline sauce ever so slightly in the microwave and spoon directly over each portion of ice cream.
  1. for the pecan praline sauce
  2. Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat.
  3. Whisk in the sugar, cream and salt. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, whisking occasionally. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer. Continue whisking for a few minutes until sauce thickens and thickly coats the back of a spoon.
  4. Remove from heat and stir in 1 tablespoon of butter. (You can totally throw this tablespoon of butter in at the beginning, but I like the way the butter melts and emulsifies in the hot sauce.) Stir in the bourbon. Stir in the pecans. Let cool.
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11 Reviews

Rose July 16, 2014
How about making it with butter pecan ice cream, thank it would so good.
I'll make it and let you all know how it comes out.
Albert S. November 27, 2013
The recipe is not good. Or maybe I should have let the cream cool be pouring into ice cream maker. Oh well the fact was missing from the directions.
mrslarkin November 28, 2013
sorry about that! yes, let the mixture chill before placing in ice cream maker. I'll add that to step 2.
Amy C. November 9, 2013
I made this last night and it was delicious. The only variation I made was adding half the vanilla and half of the bourbon to the egg and sugar mixture because mine came out too dry. I added the rest according to directions. Again, this recipe was delicious and will be made again for Thanksgiving!

-Amy
mrslarkin November 9, 2013
So glad you liked it Amy! I think I'll add it to my Thanksgiving menu, too!
AntoniaJames October 14, 2013
I'm making this sauce to go over mrslarkin's Truly Scrumptious Apple Pie, for Thanksgiving this year. (Mr T, my very southern spouse who typically asks for and receives a pecan pie every Thanksgiving, mentioned when I told him that I was making your apple pie that I don't need to make a pecan pie for Thanksgiving Day.) This sauce looks incredible, plus it will go perfectly with another dessert I'm planning (vanilla ice cream swirled with a rich pumpkin butter from Paul Virant's excellent "The Preservation Kitchen.") Do you think this sauce can be made a day or two in advance? Thank you so much. ;o)
mrslarkin October 15, 2013
Hi AJ. Yes! Make sauce ahead and reheat gently before serving. Enjoy!
EmilyC August 28, 2012
This is right up my alley, and just in time for fall! Love the pecan praline ripple.
mrslarkin August 28, 2012
Thanks Emily.
drbabs August 27, 2012
Yum back at ya. There's a can of pumpkin in the pantry with ice cream written on it.
mrslarkin August 28, 2012
thanks drbabs.