It’s peach season! What better way to highlight peaches than in a homemade ice cream?
Today’s post is to honor and appreciate our unofficial skating mom and teammate, S. Although she lives an hour away, S comes to our rink to skate and hang out with the Bock Squad. She skates partnered dance with my pairs partner (he is in high demand!), and she also takes lessons from our skating director.
S always bakes a gigantic cake and organizes a skater send-off for Adult Nationals and other large competitions. She buys tote bags for each competitor and fills it with snacks, water, little trinkets, and plenty of chicken-themed items. S loves food just as much as I do and has been so generous in sharing baked good and fresh fruit and produce with us over the years.
Recently, S asked if I liked peaches. She lives by an orchard and said that she typically buys a bushel for her family and more for friends. I said yes, and she happily obliged and brought me some a few days later. In addition, S shared a fresh peach ice cream recipe with me to try. This one looked interesting, as it wasn’t made with any egg yolks.
After I let my fresh peaches ripen on the counter for 2 days, they were ready to be peeled, pitted, and sliced. We saved 3 to eat fresh, and I used about 4 of them for this ice cream. The rest of it I froze for later (hello, peach crisp and peach pie!). Upon biting into a fresh peach, my husband exclaimed that it was the best peach he’d ever had in his life (I totally agree).
I made the peach ice cream base late one afternoon and waited about 48 hours before churning it. I wasn’t quite sure how the texture would turn out after freezing but was surprised to see that it remained soft and fluffy, even after 24 hours of being in the freezer. Two days later, the ice cream remained easily scoopable straight from the container. I didn’t need to let the ice cream thaw before serving!
For this ice cream, I put the base in the blender and pulsed for about 5 seconds. That way, I kept some of the peach chunks intact. If you like a smoother ice cream, you can blend it (or use a food processor) and pulse it for a longer period of time. I think this ice cream would have been a perfect 5 if I served it with fresh peaches or added more peach chunks in it. Addie wanted more peach flavor, but my husband and I thought it was wonderful as-is.
Thank you S, for everything you do for us, and also for the peaches and this recipe!
Husband’s rating: 4.5 out of 5
Addie’s rating: 4 out of 5
My rating: 4.5 out of 5
Fresh peach ice cream
Ingredients
- 3 cups fresh peaches peeled, pitted, and chopped
- 1 and ¼ cups granulated sugar divided
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice I did not use
- pinch salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix the chopped peaches with ⅓ cup of the granulated sugar and the lemon juice. Let the peaches sit in the sugar at room temperature for about 30 minutes. The peaches will release some juice, which is exactly what we want.
- If desired, you can transfer the peaches and their juices to a blender or food processor and pulse until your desired consistency. I pulsed mine in a blender for about 5 seconds and still got some good peach chunks in my ice cream. If you want a smoother ice cream, pulse or blend the mixture for longer.
- In a fridge-safe bowl, mix together the heavy cream, the remaining ¾ cup of granulated sugar, whole milk, vanilla, and the pinch of salt. Mix until the sugar dissolves.
- Add the peach mixture into the bowl with the heavy cream and mix well. Cover and place it in the refrigerator to chill for at least 24 hours.
- The following day (or even a few days later if needed), churn the ice cream according to the manufacturer's instructions.
- Transfer the ice cream to freezer-safe containers and chill in the freezer for at least 8 hours before serving. I got about 2 quarts of ice cream.