Summer’s Eggnog: Pumpkin and Peaches Ice Cream

“I’m not ready for pumpkins yet!” I told Mom as she brought in a huge ‘Rouge Vif d’Etampes’, also known as a Cinderella Pumpkin. “It’s still summer time!”

Pumpkins on the porch already!

The stem had broken on this pumpkin and, with a soft spot on one side, we figured it needed to be cooked, hot and summery or not. Now the hard part about pumpkin around here is that none of the guys like pumpkin very much and using one up can take quite the imagination. Most recipes don’t call for more than a cup or two including the Pumpkin Caramelized Onion and Parmesan muffins I made the other day, so I’m forced to started racking my brain for pumpkin ideas prematurely. This shouldn’t happen until at least October 3rd!

My brothers were on the road for a month playing volleyball tournaments and visiting friends. On their way back, they picked up a box of Colorado peaches to bring home just for us. Oh my, what a treat! We used to go to Colorado every summer and loved buying their phenomenal produce at the many farmer’s markets scattered around the Clear Creek area. I’ve blogged about Colorado’s amazing farmer’s markets before in my Chile Relleno post, but let me tell you, I miss them!

Biting into one of these delectable peaches was a little bit of Colorado heaven.

Taking that into consideration, I knew it was a bit risky – this recipe I was about to try. Why eggnog came to mind, I have no idea…except that we’re rushing the seasons anyway so why not just skip into Winter already? What better way to meld summer, fall, and winter than pumpkin, peaches, and nutmeg?

I threw the ingredients into the blender and whipped it smooth. It was delicious! And I decided it’d be even better as ice cream…who wouldn’t decide something like that?

Pumpkin and Peaches Ice Cream

• 2 c. fresh cooked pumpkin
• 2 peaches, pitted
• 1 c. cream
• 1 T. bourbon (mine was just young vanilla from a new batch. :)
• 1/4 t. fresh ground nutmeg
• honey to taste
• pinch of salt

Blend and churn in an ice cream maker. Makes about 5 cups ice cream.

Yes, that’s sage…You can’t garnish pumpkin ice cream with mint, folks!

I don’t think the guys even knew there was pumpkin in this until I told them. It gives it a great texture though, and loads of nutrients you normally wouldn’t find in a bowl of ice cream. Make it non-dairy with coconut cream!