Peach Ice Cream with Berries

Our blackberries and blueberries are just starting to ripen. I wanted to serve the first of the crop as dessert with our Memorial Day barbecue, but I knew it would just be a small bowlful of berries between us. A scoop of homemade peach ice cream under the berries sounded like just the ticket.

I don't like commercial peach ice cream — ersatz fruit flavor weirds me out. But the peach ice cream I make tastes of peaches and cream.

Plus, it's really simple to make. Purée peaches with a little sugar. Make a custard with eggs, milk and cream. Combine and freeze in the ice cream maker.

Yes, it's that simple to make ice cream that is better than anything you will find in the store.

And if you have fresh blackberries and blueberries to sprinkle over it, well, then you have something spectacular.

I still use the hand-cranked 1-pint ice cream
maker my mother gave me years ago.

Peach Ice Cream
1 cup milk
1 cup whipping cream
2 egg yolks
2/3 cup sugar, divided use
1 lb peaches (3-4)
1/2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp almond extract

Heat milk and cream in a heavy saucepan until steaming and small bubbles are forming around edges. In a medium bowl, combine egg yolks, 1/3 cup sugar and a dash of salt. Beat with handheld electric beaters until light and lemon-colored.

Very gradually, pour hot milk into eggs, in a gentle stream, beating constantly. This will temper the eggs without cooking them too quickly. Keep the beaters moving.

Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes until the custard begins to thicken. Set aside to cool.

Halve the peaches and remove the pits. Put the flesh (with skin) into a food processor and finely chop. Add sugar and lemon juice and purée again.

Stir the peaches and almond extract into the cooled custard. Pour into ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's directions.

Makes 2 pints.

Fresh homegrown blackberries. Yum.