I experimented with the ice cream maker again this weekend. Last weekend, I got impatient and tried to rush the process. And, like most good things, rushing through it didn’t pay off. My fudge ripple ice cream was not what I hoped, even though the kids happily ate the imperfect creation.
This weekend, the flavor du jour was peach. Our markets are overflowing with peaches now, so peach ice cream just made good sense.
I wrote a post about this ice cream, and about our love of peaches, over at the Huffington Post’s Kitchen Daily. Head over there to read it.
You can find the full recipe there, or you can find it below, as usual.
Yield: 1-1/2 quarts
Fresh fruit has a tendency to freeze solid in ice cream, so I used a technique from America's Test Kitchen -- macerating the peaches in a small amount of vodka -- to prevent that and keep the peaches soft.
1-1/2 cups 2% milk
3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
Pinch of coarse salt
1 cup heavy cream
1 cinnamon stick
5 large egg yolks
2 large peaches, peeled, pitted, and chopped into 1/2 pieces
2 tablespoons honey
1-1/2 teaspoons vodka
Make the Custard
In a medium saucepan, over medium heat, heat the milk, 1/4 cup sugar, salt, cream, and cinnamon stick, stirring occasionally to dissolve sugar. Heat for approximately 5 minutes, or until the temperature is 175 degrees.
In a separate bowl, whisk together 1/4 sugar with egg yolks. When the milk mixture is hot, slowly add about 1 cup of the hot milk mixture into the yolks (to temper). Slowly whisk the warmed egg yolks back into the remaining milk mixture in the saucepan. Continue to stir the mixture until the mixture thickens and coats the back of the spoon (180 to 185 degrees).
Strain the custard through a strainer (to catch any cooked egg bits & the cinnamon stick) over a bowl set in an ice bath. Stir the strained custard about 10 minutes, until the mixture has cooled. Cover tightly and refrigerate 8 hours, or overnight.
Prepare the Peaches
Combine the chopped peaches with the honey and the remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a small saucepan set over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes, until the peaches have released their juices. Pour into a bowl, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use.
Make the Ice Cream
Using an ice cream maker, freeze the custard according to the manufacturer's instructions. In the meantime, pour the peaches through a strainer set over a bowl to catch the juices. Reserve the juice for another time. In a small bowl, toss the peach solids with the vodka. About 5 minutes before the ice cream churning is complete, add the peaches to the ice cream maker.
Transfer the ice cream to a container and freeze until the ice cream is firm, about 3 hours.