SHF #21 - Ice Ice Baby: Peach Ice Cream

Ah! It's been a while since I took part in a Sugar High Friday, so I'm glad to be able to join in this time! The host is Sarah at The Delicious Life, and her theme is Ice Ice Baby. Well, ice is certainly necessary this summer, because we're having heat record after heat record this year. It's incredibly hot. I'm glad that we have moved and now live in a house - it's lovely to be able to barbecue, and eat outside - but I also miss the thick, thick concrete walls that kept our apartment so cool.

But, when need to be cooled down, there are solutions. Taking a cold shower is one. Whipping up a batch of delicious peach ice cream - another. Ok, this recipe *does* involve turning on the oven. Yes. It does. But it does help the peaches to reach their higher potential - super peaches - so please, try it anyway.

Peach Ice Cream
From Nigella Lawson: Forever Summer

10 ripe peaches (mine were seriously over-ripe)
6 tbsp of vanilla-infused caster sugar (mix in the seeds of one vanilla pod, or add in a tablespoon of vanilla sugar, or.. just use regular)
the juice of 1 lime
300 ml single cream
4 egg yolks
300 ml double cream (whipping cream)

Start by roasting the peaches. This will dramatically intensify the flavor. Preheat the oven to 210°C. Halve the peaches, remove the stone, and place in a small oven-proof dish, cut side up. Sprinkle over half the sugar - 3 tbsp - and the juice of a lime. Bake for 20-30 minutes.



Take the peaches out of the oven and let cool a little so that you can slip them out of their skins. Place peaches - and any juice from the pan - in a food processor, and blitz. Chill the purée until completely cold. (Nigella suggests adding in 3 tbsp of crème de pêche, if you happen to have it. Go right ahead.)

Heat the single cream. In a small bowl, beat egg yolks with the remaining sugar, and pour over the warm cream while whisking. Transfer to a small saucepan, and heat carefully while whisking, until custard turns thick. It can take a while, so don't panic.

When thickened, cool the custard completely. Then mix with the peach purée. Whip the double cream into thick, and fold this into the mixture.

Freeze as you normally would ice cream - I use my very, very, very old ice cream maker. It works perfectly, every time. Serve either straight up, or with some lovely berries. Strawberry season is sadly nearly over here, but you could try it with raspberries, or maybe with more peaches. Anything goes!

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