Peach Ice Cream

refreshingly perfect for a summer day

This summer has been quite hot and ice cream has been in high demand. My ice cream maker is a grandpa. My parents got it more than 20 years ago. Since it is usually sitting in the garage, I decided to make better use of it this summer! Here’s some delicious peach ice cream. It’s flavorful and packed with the juicy flavor of peaches, yet light and refreshing at the same time.

I cook down the peaches a bit to concentrate the flavors a bit more.

Here’s a few helpful tips that greatly benefited me while making ice cream:
-make sure everything is super cold! I refrigerate the base overnight and place the metal container that the ice cream will churn in in the freezer the night before. I believe this helps prevent the formation of ice crystals that make the ice cream icy.
-place your finished ice cream container in a plastic bag when placing in the freezer. The extra layer of air and plastic acts as an insulator which is helpful in preventing freezer burn.

Ingredients

4 peaches (~2 pounds)
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup sugar (split in half: 1/2+1/2)
6 large egg yolks
1/2 cup buttermilk
Pinch of salt

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Directions

1. Dice your peaches into pieces and place into a pot. Add 1/2 cup sugar to the peaches and gently simmer over medium heat until the peaches turn tender (~10 minutes). Remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature.

2. Add 2 cups heavy cream to another pot along with 1/2 cup sugar and a pinch of salt. Heat over medium low stirring until the sugar dissolves.

3. In a separate bowl whisk 6 large egg yolks. Slowly ladle in half of the hot cream to the egg yolks while constantly whisking the eggs. You want to temper the eggs without curdling them. Return the egg milk mixture back to the pot.

4. Heat on medium low while constantly stirring. Cook it until it reaches around 170 degrees F on an instant read thermometer or it is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Strain the mixture and set it aside to cool.

5. Puree the cooked peaches until smooth.

6. Add 1/2 cup buttermilk to a clean bowl. Add the peach puree and the custard base. Mix everything together then cover the bowl and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight. I also place the container that the ice cream churns in into the freezer at this point.

7. The next day, churn your ice cream base according to manufacturers instructions. Mine took around 40 minutes to make.

8. Place the soft serve-like consistency ice cream into a container and place in the freezer to harden further. I like to place my container inside of a large plastic bag to help insulate it and prevent freezer burn.

9. Enjoy!

Do you have an ice cream maker?