Sara’s Peach Derby Ice Cream

Peach Derby Ice Cream | A Sweet Spoonful

I received The Sprouted Kitchen Bowl + Spoon cookbook in the mail not long before we moved to our new house, and I remember lying in bed and bookmarking pages I was excited to try but also feeling overwhelmed with where to start: the truth is that this summer has been a relatively low-inspiration / low energy time in the kitchen for me. I’d been chalking it up to pregnancy but when I think back and if I’m honest with myself, my cooking style tends to be very easy and produce-driven during these warmer months. I rarely break out complicated recipes, instead relying on fresh tomatoes and corn or zucchini and homemade pesto to guide me. But last night I cracked open Sara’s book and pulled out a few peaches I’ve had sitting on the counter, fearing their season may be nearing its end. This morning as I was making coffee, I sliced up the peaches, toasted the pecans and churned away — having a bite (or maybe two) before getting it into the freezer to firm up. Peach Derby Ice Cream | A Sweet Spoonful

If you haven’t yet peeked at The Sprouted Kitchen Bowl + Spoon, it is all “bowl food” which is really, instinctually, my kind of eating and cooking. In other words, it’s filled with salads and grain bowls, noodles, oatmeal and fruit crisps. It’s food that is meant to be eaten simply, out of a bowl — you won’t find constructed courses here or fancy staggered meals. I’d go out on a limb to guess that this is the way many of us eat anyway if left to our own whims, and Sara’s recipes are always fresh, healthy and inspired. I have a few pages bookmarked to make and freeze for us to have after Sprout is born: Smoky Black Bean Chili and Turkey Meatballs in Tomato Sauce. But first, this ice cream.

Peach Derby Ice Cream | A Sweet Spoonful

This summer has been a special one for peaches in Seattle. Collins Farm is a local farm that sells pears and apples in the fall and stone fruits in the summer (among other things). This year in particular, their peaches have been outstanding and I’ll often make a special trip out to one of the markets now just to pick up a bag. I find myself hoarding them and hiding them from Sam; they’re that good. I’m slowly starting to sense the season coming to a close and because we have a few busy weekends coming up I have a feeling this may be our last batch of homemade summery ice cream. That being said, with this one in the freezer, I think we’ve really gone out with a bang.

Peach Derby Ice Cream | A Sweet Spoonful

Sara mentions in her notes that she wavers between having the peaches in the ice cream or serving them on top, so ultimately she opts to do both. The peach flavor is much more subtle when the fruit is frozen, so serving a handful on top is a really nice touch. Peaches aside though, the ice cream base itself is worth making all on its own: it has a quiet tanginess from the buttermilk, the perfect amount of sweetness, and a subtle warmth from the cinnamon. In fact, it occurred to me that this is the perfect “bridge dessert” as we slowly look towards fall: the fragrant cinnamon in the custard is a slow tease as to what’s to come yet the juicy, bold peaches remind us of where we stand right now.

Peach Derby Ice Cream | A Sweet Spoonful

Megan’s Note: I made a few tweaks to this recipe based on what we had in our cupboard which I’ll mention here so you can make some choices based on what you have at home. Sara calls for brown rice syrup which is nice because it has a really mild, subtle sweetness; we were out so I used honey instead. I opted not to use the 2 tablespoons bourbon Sara calls for and it was delicious as is; I imagine it’s even more so with a splash so do as you like. Last, I used cream cheese instead of the mascarpone because we had some leftover from another recipe. If you’d prefer the slightly more decadent flavor of mascarpone, just substitute it in for the same amount of cream cheese. My small changes are reflected in the recipe below. 

Peach Derby Ice Cream

Peach Derby Ice Cream

  • Yield: 1 quart
  • Prep time: 10 mins
  • Cook time: 10 mins
  • Inactive time: 2 hrs 20 mins
  • Total time: 2 hrs 40 mins

The only thing I’ll do differently next time is dice the peaches smaller than I did. Big hunks of fruit can feel kind of hard and icy in ice cream whereas little bites are bright and add flavor and texture, so do take the time to do a nice fine dice. If your cream cheese is very firm, you may want to whisk in a quick splash of milk to loosen it up a bit — I ended up doing this just to help it incorporate more easily.

Lightly adapted from: The Sprouted Kitchen Bowl + Spoon 

Ingredients

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons whole milk
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons honey
3/4 cup natural cane sugar
Pinch of salt
1/3 cup cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons bourbon (optional)
1/2 cup toasted, chopped pecans, plus more for garnish
2 ripe peaches, pitted and diced

Instructions

Mix the 2 tablespoons of the milk with the cornstarch in a small bowl to make a smooth slurry.

Combine the remaining milk, the cream, honey, sugar and salt in a large saucepan or pot (at least 4 quarts). Bring the mixture to a very gentle simmer over low heat and cook, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the cornstarch mixture.

Bring the mixture back to a simmer and cook, stirring constantly, another minute.

Gradually whisk in the cream cheese until smooth. Stir in the buttermilk, vanilla, cinnamon and bourbon (if using). Chill the mixture in the refrigerator for two hours or until cold. If it chills too long, a fat layer will separate to the top. Remove this piece before churning* (see note below).

Churn the ice cream according to the manufacturer’s directions. In the last minutes, add the toasted pecans and half the peaches. Spoon the mixture into the storage container and freeze until firm.

*Just a note on chilling: I chilled my mixture overnight and it was absolutely fine. Mascarpone has a higher fat content than cream cheese, so if you go the mascarpone route, Sara’s suggestion on not chilling too long will likely apply. But the recipe as written here can be chilled overnight. 

Comments

  1. Amanda @ Once Upon a Recipe

    I'm ashamed to admit that I have not made a single batch of homemade ice cream this summer. That is a very sad reality. However, I do have a bowl full of peaches sitting on my counter and pecans in my freezer. I may have to give this recipe a try!

  2. Elizabeth

    Here in Texas we get great peaches but I never get to make peach ice cream because even though my husband is an ice cream addict he doesn't like fruit ice creams. So whenever possible I get myself a scoop when passing by the fruit stands that also sell ice cream. One of my favorites actually uses homemade peach butter so it already has the peaches blended up and the cinnamon and sugar. Makes for a very simple recipe...that I've never gotten to try!

  3. Donne Roma

    It`s look so delicious, thanks for sharing this recipe !

  4. Carla

    Hi... this looks great. What do you mean by churn according to manufacturer?!?! Can i mix it in a blender? Thanks :)

    1. megang

      Hi, Carla. Great question. No, you want to use an ice cream machine here, and each one works differently - thus the more vague instructions to use their specifications. I hope that helps!

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