Peach Derby Ice Cream

Peach Derby Ice Cream

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.