Pumpkin Semifreddo

Cut a small pumpkin into large chunks and remove the strings and seeds. Steam the pumpkin on a steaming rack in a large pot over boiling water for about half an hour until the pulp is soft. Let the pumpkin cool slightly and scrape the pulp from the skin. Blend the pulp with a hand-mixer, blender, or processor until smooth, then set aside.

In a large bowl whisk together:

  • 6 egg yolks
  • 2/3 cup coconut sugar
  • 1/3 cup maple syrup
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg 
  • 1/4 teaspoon allspice
  • 2 drops of lemon extract
  • a splash of Amaretto, or aged Port

In a double boiler heat 1 & 1/4 cups of heavy cream. Whisk the eggs and then gradually pour 1/4 cup of the hot cream into the egg mixture while whisking constantly. Now continue whisking as you add the egg/cream mixture back into the remaining hot cream atop the double boiler.

Simmer and whisk the cream in a double-boiler for a few minutes whilst occasionally scraping the sides of the pot with a heat-resistant spatula. Whisking adds air to the mixture and using the spatula helps remove the thickening custard from the sides of the pot where the heat is highest.

Keep whisking and using the spatula to uncoat the edges of the pot until the custard becomes thick enough to coat the spatula. To keep yourself entertained as you whisk you might consider adding a tiny pinch of ground cloves.

When the custard seems thick enough, pour it through a sieve set over a clean bowl. Add 2/3 cup of the steamed pumpkin, (or use a can of organic pumpkin puree) plus either a scraped vanilla pod, or two teaspoons of vanilla extract.

Now add a quarter-cup of very cold cream, mix briefly, and refrigerate until fully cooled. Transfer the pumpkin custard to the thick pre-frozen metal bowl that should live in your freezer. Simply keep fork-whisking the mixture every ten minutes or so as it sits in your freezer until it reaches a texture of your preference.