blue artichoke

After the inaugural batch of vanilla custard ice cream, I've been eager to try making fancier, flavored ice cream. I headed to the farmer's market to buy fresh peaches, only to learn that the late frost damaged the peach crop this year. What few there are sell quickly and are expensive. So, I bought a 4# crate of giant peaches at Sam's, and set to work. The idea was the same as the vanilla ice cream: make a custard and, once chilled, stir in a fruit puree. The custard procedure in this recipe, though, was very different from the traditional method. In the traditional method, you heat the milk or cream to just short of boiling, stir it slowly into a mixture of egg yolks and sugar, then return it to the pan to cook and thicken. This new method had me boil the milk/cream, then simmer it, then cover it and let it stand awhile before stirring it into the sugar/yolk mixture. I don't like this method because it is all based on rigid timing, not by the look or feel of the milk. I think the milk scorched a bit when it boiled or maybe simmered too hot or sat too long. I don't know, but it separated during the second heating stage. It may also have been because I used a whipping cream and half-and-half combo instead of all whipping cream, but I don't think that was the culprit. Once it froze, though, you couldn't tell that it had separated.

This recipe, though, used so many pots and bowls and strainers that I had to rewash a few times in the midst of preparation to have a clean bowl. And it took forever. I started making the ice cream eager and anticipatory, but by the time I finished, I was a snarling grump. I had a kitchen full of dirty dishes, no counter space (which led me to knock over the pan and spill ~1/3 of the milk mixture when trying to strain it into the egg mixture) and a wall and floor covered in ice cream goo. I hoped that I hated the ice cream, because I never wanted to go through the ordeal of making it again.

Unfortunately, it's excellent. It has nice chunks of peaches, not too sweet or eggy (like the vanilla batch) and a light and refreshing peach flavor. I learned a few tricks the first time around about freezing the ice cream, so this batch was not nearly as messy (in the churning/freezing stage, that is).

Peach Ice Cream

5 large ripe peaches(about 2 pounds)
4 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 tablespoons peach schnapps
2 1/4 cups milk
2 2/3 cups heavy cream
8 large egg yolks
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Meanwhile, prepare an ice-water bath; set aside. Place peaches in boiling water for 1 to 2 minutes; remove with a slotted spoon, and cool in ice-water bath.

2. Peel and pit peaches, reserving skin and pits. Slice each peach into 10 wedges, place in a nonreactive saucepan, and stir in lemon juice and 2 tablespoons sugar. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until peaches are tender and liquid has thickened slightly, 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool.

3. Stir peach schnapps into peach mixture. Transfer to the bowl of a food processor, and pulse to a chunky purée, 10 to 15 pulses; set aside.

4. In a large saucepan set over high heat, bring milk, cream, peach skins, and pits to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low; simmer 5 minutes. Cover, and let stand 15 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine egg yolks, salt, remaining sugar, and vanilla. Beat at medium-high speed until mixture is thick and pale yellow, about 3 minutes.

6. Strain milk mixture into egg mixture; discard solids. Beat at low speed to combine. Cook over low heat, stirring, until mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon, 3 to 5 minutes. Pass through a sieve into a bowl set in ice-water bath. When chilled, stir in peach purée. Freeze in an ice-cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions, in two batches if necessary. Store in an airtight plastic container in the freezer for up to 1 week.

Makes 6 cups.
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I have another recipe for peach ice cream that I'd like to try out. It looks much easier than this one; hopefully it will taste just as good, or else I'll be stuck making this one again. And I would make it again. It's excellent.