Didn’t I promise this would happen, when my beloved Pumking ale was released this year? I have been obsessed with the idea of turning this seasonal spiced ale into an ice cream, and here I’ve gone and done it!
Many of the recipes I make are merely altered versions of something I’ve made before. In this case, I followed the lessons I learned when I made the Black Mountain Chocolate Stout Ice Cream I shared back in the summer. As with that recipe, I’ve reduced the beer to intensify its flavors, giving immeasurable boost of pumpkin-y-ness to my standard custard-based ice cream. Throw in a fair amount of pureed pumpkin, and what do you suppose I got?
The pumpkin flavor is amped up three times—first with pure pumpkin puree, and then with the infusion of the pumpkin butter, which is essentially cooked pumpkin with sugar, spices and lemon juice. Finally, the Pumking ale accents the ice cream with a spiced and slightly hoppy flavor that is exactly the right balance to the sweet richness.
The other ingredients are straight off my go-to list for homemade custard-based ice cream. Equal parts whole milk and heavy cream, three egg yolks, just shy of one cup of sugar. I heated the milk and cream, plus half the amount of sugar, to the just-barely-boiling point.
While that was working, I whisked the egg yolks together with the remaining sugar until it was lighter in color and fluffed up in volume. Sometimes I do this in my stand mixer, but this time it worked fine in a glass pitcher bowl and a little elbow grease.
For extra cinnamon oomph, I tossed a stick into my milk-cream mixture. Don’t bother; I don’t think it added much. 
Proving here that you don’t need a stand mixer to make a custard ice cream. A good whisk and a strong arm gets the job done.
I gradually streamed half of the hot cream mixture into the egg yolks, whisking the whole time to prevent scrambling the eggs. Then, I returned the tempered egg mixture to the pan with the remaining cream mixture, and cooked (stirring constantly) until the custard was slightly thickened and coated the back of my wooden spoon.
Slow and steady wins this race. I pour the hot milk mixture into my beaten eggs, whisking constantly. This is called “tempering” the eggs. 
After the eggs are tempered by the hot cream, pour the mixture back into the hot milk and continue cooking until the custard is done. 
The custard is done when it coats the back of a spoon, like this. Stop when you get here, or your eggs may curdle.
The cooked custard mixture went back into the pitcher bowl, and I blended in the pumpkin puree, pumpkin butter and reduced Pumking ale. As always, I laid plastic wrap directly on top of the custard (this prevents a skin forming on top, and also prevents condensation that could screw up the texture of the finished ice cream. Into the fridge for at least 8 hours (I usually leave it overnight), then into the ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. Here’s how the rest of the recipe went:
The pumpkin puree and pumpkin butter are going to add incredible color as well as flavor to my ice cream. 
The Pumking spiced ale is the finishing touch that makes this ice cream so unique! 
Laying the plastic down directly onto the surface prevents a “skin” and condensation from forming. Both would ruin the ice cream texture. 
After at least 8 hours in the fridge, the custard will be ready to freeze. I gave it a good whisking first. 
Freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions. Be sure the bowl is well frozen before you begin! 
Use something blunt, like a rolling pin or even a soup can to gently crush the ginger cookies. Not a fan of ginger? Vanilla wafers would be delicious, too! 
Does this even need words? My churning was complete after 25 minutes. 
As with my other ice creams, I staggered the layers of crumbs, so that every scoop gets its fair share of ginger cookie. 🙂 
I wanted the top to be pretty, so I put my crumbs in a mesh strainer for the final sprinkling.
This ice cream surprised me with its super-creamy, unbelievably pumpkin-y flavor and texture. You don’t taste beer in the ice cream—just a complex layered flavor that seems more complicated than it was.
As Thanksgiving desserts go, this is a winner, not only because it’s delicious and satisfies the desire for a rich, creamy pumpkin dessert, but also because you can make it several days ahead to free up time in your schedule for more pressing dishes.
Serve it in an ice cream cone or bowl, or on top of a square of gingerbread or a brownie or a big fat oatmeal cookie or…OK, straight from the container. Why the heck not?
Ingredients
8 oz. Pumking spiced ale (or another pumpkin seasonal ale)
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
3 egg yolks
3/4 cup organic cane sugar, divided
1/2 cup pure pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
1/4 cup Trader Joe’s pumpkin butter* (see notes)
1/4 cup crushed ginger snap cookies (optional)
1 oz. vodka (optional, for texture; this is added during final minute of freezing)
*Notes
If you cannot get your hands on the Trader Joe’s pumpkin butter, I would recommend increasing the puree to 1 cup, and cook it with a couple tablespoons of brown sugar, a squeeze of lemon juice and a teaspoon of pumpkin pie spices. Cook until it’s caramelized and thickened, then refrigerate overnight before adding it to the ice cream. It won’t be exactly the same, but darn close.
Want to make this recipe?
Follow the steps and pictures above, or click to download a copy for your recipe files. Please let me know how you like it!
Comfort du Jour 