Pumpkin Beer Floats (aka Hup Floats)

A few weeks ago, in what has turned into my non-existent cyclocross season, a friend had an idea to make beer floats to hand out at cyclocross races (hat-tip Chris!). For those of you that are saying 'what the hell is cyclocross?!', watch the video below and become enlightened. To paraphrase Rapha (yes, I am using a clothing/ lifestyle company to quote history), cyclocross was created in the greater Benelux region as a way for cyclists to stay in shape over the winter months and enhance their bike handling skills. Cross racing can be summarized in a couple of words, mud, cold weather, and beer.

So, in the spirit of 'cross season, going with a seasonal beer was a must. Tons of companies put out fall beers but I needed one that could blend well with sweet ingredients. Thinking of various fall beers Sam Adams Octoberfest, Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale, Dogfish Head Punkin Ale, and Saranac Pumpkin Ale all came to mind. After some digging, I found that Saranac was discontinued, which was a real disappointment- last years batch was probably one of my favorites. Continuing through the list, I had a tough time thinking that Sam Adams would be good with ice cream so I was left with Smuttynose and Dogfish Head. So, after pulling together a choice group of cyclists; taste testing ensued. Smuttynose along with the ice cream came across a tad bitter/sour tasting- a far departure from the deliciousness of the beer by itself. Next came the Dogfish Head Punkin Ale which we thought was the best match. Initially, before the ice cream started to melt into the beer, we found that having a spoonful of ice cream with a swig of beer was not that awesome. It didn't blend well and had a mouth feel similar to Mentos and Diet Coke. But, like a root beer float, once the ice cream melted and thoroughly mixed in, it was glorious!

The winner!

Directions
1 to 1 1/2 scoops of pumpkin ice cream
1 bottle of Dogfish Head Punkin Ale

Pour the beer into a pint glass and add ice cream. Let it sit for a minute or two (this will be a test of your patience) and then enjoy! You'll know it's ready when the beer becomes opaque.

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Oh Snap!

This past weekend I took a tour of High Road Craft Ice Cream & Sorbet in Atlanta while in town for Thanksgiving. I discovered these guys a few months back while at South City Kitchen where my table split bowls of Maple Bacon and Cherry Vanilla- after that, I was hooked. They make some really cool flavors such as Bourbon Burnt Sugar, Port Pear Pecan, and I even saw a Black Truffle ice cream on the list. At the factory store, they sell a regular selection of pints, daily creations, and even fleur de sel sprinkled chocolate covered ice cream bars- those things rocked by the way! After the tour, Chef Keith answered a pile of questions I had for him about creating ice creams and sorbets which has since helped tremendously. Inspired by the tour, I went back to my folks house in search of an original ice cream flavor whose recipe I could create myself. What I came up with was Gingersnap!

I don't know about you but I can put the hurt to a box of gingersnap cookies. They are sugary, have some of that rich molasses flavor, and a good amount of zing from the ginger. Not only do they taste amazing, but they don't make you feel like you are eating a stick of butter when you eat them (not that there is anything wrong with that). When you take a bite of the ice cream (does that even make sense? It's not on a cone) you instantly taste the molasses and I found myself wanting to savor the flavor (not to be confused with a flavor saver). Slowly but surely, just like the cookie, you get a taste of the ginger. Not so fast that you think you are eating ginger ice cream but after the molasses and cinnamon have sunken into your taste buds. The consistency as you can see is soft but could easily hold up on a cone.


Ingredients

Nutritional Info
Serving Size 1/2 cup Servings 8
Calories 300
Fat 23g
Sat Fat 15g
Carbs 7g
Sugar 6g
Protien 2.5g

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup milk (I used 2%)
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 tbs molasses
• 4 egg yolks
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp whole clove
• Box or bag of gingersnap cookies

*Nutritional Info from:
Livestrong.com/myplate Equipment

• Double boiler (1 inch of water in the bottom)
• Mixing bowl
• Sieve/ mesh strainer 
• Measuring Cups 
• Measuring Spoons 
• Whisk

Start by heating the cream over a double boiler. Once it begins to lightly steam, it will be time to add in the egg yolk mixture.

As the cream begins to steam, it is time to mix it with the egg yolks, molasses, sugar, ginger, cinnamon, and clove.

Pour about 1/3 of the heated cream into the egg yolk mixture. Whisk as you pour so as not to curdle the eggs.

Pour the cream and egg mixture back into the double boiler along with the cup of milk. Slowly heat the mixture until it coats the back of a spoon and transfer to a medium sized bowl to chill. Once thoroughly chilled, pour mixture into ice cream machine and churn to manufacturer instructions. Mine took about 20 minutes.

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Pumpkin

After making various other fall flavors, I had to make some pumpkin and complete the Keuka Lake Duo. Pumpkins are one of my favorite things about fall- they are orange, you can make pie out of 'em, you can carve 'em, and brewery's make beer with 'em! What is not to love?! Oh yea, and did I mention that they roughly resemble the color of John Boehner's face after one of his tanning sessions?

Ingredients

Nutritional Info
Serving Size 1/2 cup Servings 8
Calories 366
Fat 23g
Sat Fat 15g
Carbs 19g
Sugar 8g
Protein 2.4g

Makes 1 quart

• 2 cups heavy cream 
• 6 egg yolks 
• 2/3 cup sugar 
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup 
• 1 tsp. ground ginger 
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon 
• 1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg 
• 2/3 cup puréed cooked pumpkin 
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract 

*Nutritional Info from:
Livestrong.com/myplate Modified from, Saveur  

Equipment

• 3qt pot & metal mixing bowl or double boiler 
• Saute pan 
• Sieve/ mesh strainer 
• Spice grater 
• Measuring Cups 
• Measuring Spoons 
• Whisk

In a medium metal bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, corn syrup, ground ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg. It won't be the most appealing looking thing but it gets better.

Heat 1 and 1/3 cups of cream over a double boiler. In a double boiler it can be tough to bring the cream to a simmer- you'll know its ready when you can smell the cream.

Once the cream has come up to temperature, pour 1/4 cup of it into the egg mixture, whisking while you pour (easier said than done). If you have a sous chef nearby, have them hold the bowl so it does not move. Once the cream and eggs have been thoroughly mixed, pour the contents of the bowl back into the double boiler. Whisk the contents of the double boiler until it begins to thicken. You'll know its ready when it coats the back of a spoon.

After the mixture has come up to the desired consistency, pour the contents into a bowl containing the remaining cream, vanilla extract, and pumpkin pie filling. Whisk ingredients together and place into an ice bath. (If it is nice and cold outside, you can cover the bowl and let it cool down in the fall air).

2 hours later, give or take, the custard will be ready for the ice cream machine. Mine took about 20 minutes.

I found that the ice cream freezes firm but scoopable (yes, that's a new word, take note OED). If you love pumpkin pie, this will be right up your alley- hell you could even throw a scoop on top of a piece of the pie and pumpkin yourself out! Of course you can do one scoop of both the pumpkin and cinnamon and really indulge yourself. The ice cream has just a hint of texture that reminds you there really is pumpkin in it, not just flavoring and spices. One friend enjoyed it so much, that he just about started to eat the ice cream right out of the container.

Coming up next are Hup Floats, perfect for cyclocross season. Hat tip C'Mac for the name.

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