Nothing says summer like fresh peaches! Here’s a recipe for easy Fresh Peach Ice Cream. All you need is some fresh, ripe peaches, a variable-speed blender and a countertop electric ice cream freezer. And who wouldn’t have one of those when you find out easy it is to make great ice cream? You’ll make sure you always have half-and-half and heavy cream (whipping cream) on hand.
I started making my own ice cream about 2 years ago. We can’t eat about half the varieties in the grocery store because of Steve’s peanut allergy. And even the higher-end brands didn’t seem to be that great. About the same time, I found Matthew Klein’s The Joy of Ice Cream at a used book sale. After just one or two tries, I was hooked!
Other flavors besides Fresh Peach Ice Cream
I’ve made several varieties of both chocolate and vanilla, as well as fresh peach ice cream, mango, coconut, lemon custard, lime, maple-pecan and a number of others. (I even made peanut butter ice cream for myself when Steve was away on a business trip!) Once you start experimenting, you realize that any flavor is fair game. Trader Joe’s carries Speculoos cookie butter and it makes an extraordinary ice cream. Look for it right next to the peanut butter and almond butter.
The blender
You can use any variable speed blender with a low speed setting. This will ensure you don’t start to churn the ice cream in the blender! We use a Vitamix blender, which has a “hot soup” setting. You can use this to make the cooked custard. It blends the egg, sugar, flavoring and half-and-half mixture at high speed for about 5 minutes and literally cooks it to steaming.
Raw eggs
If you have a compromised immune system, you should avoid consuming raw eggs. With a Vitamix, you can use the “hot soup” setting on any of the batter base mixtures so it cooks the egg and avoids that problem. At the end, just add the heavy cream on very low speed just until combined.
Mix-ins
A good blender will generally pulverize anything you put into the liquid. You may want something chunky in your ice cream, like nuts, chocolate chips, or pieces of fruit, chopped to the right size. Use a large bowl to mix them in with the ice cream after it’s finished in your ice cream maker. I also found that coconut tends to get hung up in the blender blade and the ice cream paddle, so add it separately as well.
Food is part of the travel adventure in New Mexico! Stay with us at the Bottger Mansion of Old Town, a historic bed and breakfast in Albuquerque, NM. While we don’t serve ice cream for breakfast, we top our morning fruit bowls with house-made sorbet. (And I have been known to provide samples of the latest ice cream flavor to guests!) We provide comfortable rooms, outstanding amenities,and friendly hospitality, along with a warm, delicious breakfast in the morning that will help get your day started. Explore the many attractions of Albuquerque or simply relax in the peace and quiet of our inn. Our beautiful haven in New Mexico is waiting for you, so check our availability and book your stay today!
| Prep Time | 5 minutes |
| Passive Time | 25 minutes |
| Servings |
people
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- 1 egg (note: raw eggs should not be consumed by those with compromised immune systems.)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup half-and-half
- 1 1/2 cups peaches peeled, pitted and diced (150g)
- 1/4 tsp. almond extract
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 1/2 cups peaches peeled, pitted and diced (150g)
Ingredients
ice cream base
peach pieces to fold in
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- In a variable speed blender set on low, combine the egg, sugar, half and half, peaches and almond extract until well-combined and sugar is dissolved, 2-3 minutes.
- On the lowest speed, add in the heavy cream and blend in until just combined, 15-20 seconds.
- Pour the ice cream batter into the freezer bucket of your countertop ice cream freezer. Following the instructions for your model, churn the ice cream for about 25 minutes or until the consistency of pudding.
- Scrape all of the ice cream into a large bowl. Stir in the additional peaches so the ice cream has peach chunks in it when frozen and it's evenly distributed in the ice cream.
- Chill for at least 3-4 hours or until ice cream is frozen fairly solid.
