When this Sweet Potato Pecan Ice Cream recipe is mentioned to passerby one of two things usually happens: people either express great joy or wince and convulse. Sweet potatoes are pumpkin 2.0 people! They have a much more complex flavor than pumpkin so I just cut to the chase and paired them with candied pecans to make this vegan ice cream. You could substitute pumpkin purée if you really wanted to but it's not recommended unless you're stuck on a dessert island with nary a single sweet potato in sight.

½ cup Balsamic Candied Pecans

1 cup Cashew Cream or Soy Cream

1 cup sweet potato puree (about 2 medium jewel sweet potatoes)

½ cup water, non-dairy milk
¾ cup + 2 Tablespoons sugar
1 Tablespoon barley malt syrup
1 Tablespoon arrowroot flour or tapioca flour
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ginger
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon cloves
1 pinch salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1)
Prepare the Balsamic Candied Pecans and the Cashew Cream or Soy Cream and set aside.

2)
Thoroughly peel the sweet potatoes and chop them into 1 inch square pieces. Place them in a baking dish and cover it with tin foil. Poke about six small slits in the tin foil to allow steam to escape while the sweet potatoes are baking. Bake at 400F (204C) for 40 minutes.

3)
Remove the sweet potatoes from the oven, allow to cool, then purée in a food processor for about one minute.

4)
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the Cashew Cream or Soy Cream, sweet potato purée, water, non-dairy milk, sugar, barley malt syrup, arrowroot flour or tapioca flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and salt. Bring the mixture to a simmer then remove from heat while whisking constantly. Whisk the mixture for an additional 5 minutes to make sure the sugar is completely dissolved. Transfer to a covered container and place in the refrigerator to cool for about two hours.

5)
Stir in the vanilla extract and mix in an ice cream maker for about 30 minutes.

6)
Mix the Balsamic Candied Pecans into the ice cream with a spoon. Transfer to a covered container and put it in the freezer for 3 hours. Makes 1 Quart.