CONTRIBUTED BY KELLY GILLOTTI
Kabocha (カボチャ)is a type of winter squash, sometimes called a Japanese Pumpkin.
Even though it’s called a winter squash, it ripens during the summer. Due to the hard, waxy exterior, it will keep through the winter with proper storage. It’s at the farmers markets now and is very inexpensive.
It’s fairly sweet, which means less added sugar and more winning! I made this ice cream to be dairy-free, but you can use any type of milk you’d like.
- 1 ½ cup coconut milk
- 1 ½ cup cooked and peeled kabocha
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp dried ginger
- ¼ tsp fresh grated nutmeg
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp cardamom
- ¼ tsp clove
- Pinch of salt
Toss everything into a blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Taste this to make sure the spices are to your liking. You can add more spices if you would prefer a stronger taste, then pour everything into an ice cream maker.
Follow manufacturer’s instructions. If you don’t have an ice cream maker, you can put this in a bowl in the freezer and stir every 10 minutes until it’s frozen.