Paw Paw Ice Cream

Being involved in the event was tiring, but a lot of fun. One of the dishes I remember tasting that day was the pawpaw ice cream. It was the first time I ever had a pawpaw.

My friend, James Vassil, is a farmer in his own right, and he seems to always want to share exciting ingredients. James provided the pawpaws for this recipe. If you have never enjoyed a pawpaw, take a look around the next time you are on a trail or in your backyard; you might be surprised at what you find.

For more information about the fruit, check out this article from WV Tourism; https://wvtourism.com/pawpaw/.

Enjoy; stay well.

Ingredients

8 egg yolks

2 C half and half

2 C heavy cream

1 1/4 C granulated sugar

1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped

6 pawpaws

Directions

Clean the pawpaws and split them in half. Save the pulp and discard the seeds, cut into small pieces and freeze overnight.

Place the egg yolks in a large bowl and set them aside. Heat the half and half, heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat until steaming, about 10 minutes.

Gradually whisk about a quarter cup of the hot cream into the bowl of yolks, then stir the egg-cream mixture back into the pot of hot cream. (This method is called tempering and keeps the eggs from curdling.)

Stir with a whisk until the mixture coats the back of a spoon, about 10-15 minutes. Strain and cool; refrigerate the ice cream base overnight.

The following day, take the frozen pawpaws out of the freezer about 30 minutes before using. Transfer the ice cream base into an ice cream maker, add the pawpaw fruit (if still frozen, defrost a little in the microwave, but don’t warm them too much). Process the ice cream according to the manufacturer’s instructions until churned and thick.

Transfer to an airtight storage container; freeze until set, at least 4 hours.