Peach Ice Cream

Every year at this time (peach season here!), it seems as though all I see are photos of peaches, peaches at road side stands, peaches filling the produce aisles and then peaches are all I’m thinking about! I’ve been craving fresh peach ice cream, and it’s been forever since I’ve pulled out my ice cream maker, so after picking up some peaches from a nearby farm, I thought it’d be the perfect time to make some.
This ice cream was everything I wanted it be, creamy and filled with the taste of fresh peaches! I made mine smooth & creamy, without any peach chunks in it; feel free to leave some chunks in yours if that’s your thing. I also added a little bit of cinnamon because I love peach and cinnamon together, I think I might even add a little more cinnamon next time, so if you’re a cinnamon lover, maybe add an extra 1/4 teaspoon or so!Peach Ice Cream

1-1/2 cups whole milk
1-1/2 cups heavy cream, divided
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 egg yolks
about 5 medium peaches, peeled and cut
1 tablespoon brown sugar, optional

In a large saucepan, whisk together the milk, 1/2 cup of the heavy cream, sugar, vanilla extract and cinnamon over medium heat. Heat until very hot (but not boiling), stirring until the sugar is dissolved. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks. Slowly add about 1/2 cup of the hot milk into the yolks, whisking constantly, this gently warms (tempers) the egg yolks (so they don’t become scrambled eggs). Keep adding the milk slowly, constantly whisking, until you have about 1/2 of the hot milk mixture stirred into the eggs yolks.

Pour the egg mixture back into the pan with the remaining milk and heat over medium heat, stirring, until the mixture reaches 165-170ºF. Remove from heat.

Strain the hot milk mixture through a sieve set over a large bowl and stir in remaining 1 cup heavy cream. Let cool to room temperature (you can set the bowl in an ice bath to speed up the cool down process). While it’s cooling, puree the peaches with the brown sugar, until smooth (you’ll want about 3 cups total of pureed peaches). Stir peaches into cream mixture, cover and refrigerate until completely chilled – 6-8 hours.  

Churn the ice cream mixture in your ice cream maker. Once churned, pour ice cream into container, cover, and freeze at least 4 hours or until firm.
And here’s a few more peach-y keen recipes to check out if you’ve got the craving as well: Grilled Peach S’mores | Peaches & Cream Mocktail | or go ahead and top those pancakes with some!

-Manda