Country Peach Ice Cream

The yo-yo of living in the Midwest during springtime started last week. One day we had temperatures pushing 60 degrees, warm sunshine, and singing red robins. The next day it looked like this:

I still don't think I've adjusted completely to the insanity of 50 degree temperature swings from one day to the next, but I am beginning to understand why the weather is the first topic of any conversation around here! As you may recall from previous posts about cold weather - Mr. B gets an inexplicable craving for ice cream when the snow starts to fly. I think it is beginning to rub off on me as I found myself in the kitchen at 7am on Saturday morning making a custard base for peach ice cream.

If you and I go way back, you may also remember one of my very first posts, celebrating a box of wonderful Colorado peaches. Fortunately, Mr. B and I took the time to peel, slice, and freeze about half of that large box and the flavor of sun-ripened peaches is now captured in our freezer. I used 4 cups of frozen peaches to make the ice cream, quickly thawing them out by placing the zip lock bag in a sink of cold water for about 30 minutes. If you don't have a stash of frozen peaches you can substitute store-bought frozen peaches, though the flavor may not be as strong. So if the winter weather is starting to get to you, go find some frozen peaches, put on a woolly sweater and flip flops and pretend that summer is just around the corner!

Country Peach Ice Cream
Adapted from The Williams-Sonoma Ice Cream Cookbook
Makes 1 Quart

Ingredients:
4 large ripe peaches (or 4 cups frozen), peeled, pitted, and chopped in small chunks
1 1/2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar, plus 2 Tablespoons
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
4 large egg yolks
Pinch of Salt
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract

Directions:
Place half (2 cups) of the peaches in a bowl. Add in lemon juice and 2 Tablespoons of sugar. Gently mash mixture with a fork and stir to combine. Cover the bowl and place in the fridge.

Using a heavy medium size pot, mix together milk, 1 cup of the cream, and all remaining peaches. Cook over medium heat until the mixture thickens slightly (about 4-5 minutes). Do not let it boil! Strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl using the back of a spoon to press down on the peaches. Discard the solids. Let cool slightly.

Meanwhile, whisk together egg yolks, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup cream, and salt in a bowl. Whisk until the sugar starts to dissolve and the mixture is smooth.

Gradually pour a slow stream of the warm milk mixture (about 1/2 cup) into the egg mixture, stirring constantly until smooth. Then pour the egg and remaining milk mixture together into the heavy saucepan and place over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Keep the custard at a low simmer until it is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon and leaves a clear trail when you draw your finger across the back. This will take 4-6 minutes (do not let the custard boil!). Strain custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. Add the vanilla and stir to combine.

Place the custard bowl in a larger bowl filled with ice cubes and water to cool, stirring occasionally. Once mixture has cooled down, cover pressing plastic wrap onto the surface to keep a film from forming. Place mixture in the fridge and chill for at least 3 hours and optimally up to 24 hours.

Pour the custard into your ice cream maker and chill according to the manufacturer's directions. When the ice cream is almost done, and is the consistency of whipped cream, add in the reserved peaches. Churn until just mixed. (We ran out of room in our ice cream container and had to transfer the mix to a larger bowl and hand stir the peaches - this worked fine.) Place ice cream in a freezer safe container and freeze until firm, at least 6 hours and up to 3 days. Remove from the freezer 10 minutes before serving so ice cream can soften enough to scoop.