Fresh Georgia Peach Ice Cream

Article first published as Fresh Georgia Peach Ice Cream on Blogcritics.

Summer is one of my favorite food seasons because of the amazing fresh produce that's readily available. Strawberry season just ended, but now blueberries are taking over with raspberries soon to follow. Stone fruits are also in season and my favorite of the group are peaches! Georgia is known for their super sweet peaches and now's the time to seek them out in your local grocery store for a taste. No need to rush since they'll be around until early August. So what do you do with fresh peaches in the summer? One tasty answer - ice cream! I recently made some Fresh Georgia Peach Ice Cream and it was the perfect treat to cool down with on a summer day. A creamy ice cream base sweetened by natural peach juices is studded with fresh chopped peaches and froze to perfection...

This is a super easy recipe for ice cream that comes from one of my favorite ice cream books, Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream & Dessert Book. I've found their ice cream recipes often don't require making a custard or heating, which means you save a bit of time. As for the texture, it's creamy and indulgent just as it should be. To make, fresh chopped peaches are macerated with a little sugar to draw out the natural juices. These juices are then added to a standard ice cream base made with eggs, lemon juice, heavy cream and whole milk. The mixture is churned in an ice cream maker and just before it's done, the chopped peaches are swirled in. You can certainly enjoy it once it comes out of the ice cream maker, however I've found the flavor really shines through after freezing it overnight and eating the next day - that is if you can last that long. It's definitely worth the wait and you won't be disappointed!

Fresh Georgia Peach Ice Cream
recipe from Ben & Jerry's

2 cups of finely chopped peaches, peeled
1 1/4 cups sugar - divided
Juice of  1/2 lemon
2 large eggs
2 cups heavy or whipping cream
1 cup whole milk

Combine the peaches, ½ cup of sugar and the lemon juice in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours, stirring the mixture every 30 minutes.

Remove the peaches from the refrigerator and drain the juice into another bowl. Cover and return the peaches to the refrigerator to chill.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in the remaining 3/4 cup sugar, a little at a time, then continue whisking until completely blended, about 1 minute. Add in the cream and milk, and whisk to combine. Add the peach juice and stir to blend in.

Transfer the mixture to an ice cream maker and freeze following the manufacturer’s instructions.

About 2 minutes before the mixture is done in the ice cream maker, add the chilled peaches and continue freezing until the ice cream is ready. Transfer the mixture to a freezer safe container and freeze at least 6-8 hours for flavors to ripen before enjoying.

Makes generous 1 quart.