Here's the Scoop

July is National Ice Cream Month and this Sunday, July 17, is National Peach Ice Cream Day.

Until I started making homemade ice cream, the only peach ice cream I'd eaten was nothing more than vanilla ice cream with some diced peaches added.  The ice cream tasted more like vanilla than peach.

Several years ago, I found a recipe for peach ice cream that delivers a double dose of peach flavor.  The recipe uses fresh peaches and canned peach nectar.

Peaches peak in July and August.  You can read tips about choosing fresh peaches here.  Nectar, the drink of the gods in mythology, is a sweet juice extracted from fruit.  It is thicker than other types of fruit juice.  Canned nectar is sometimes found with other fruit juices or in the fruit aisle.  The last time I bought a can, it was in the ethnic food aisle at the grocery store.

The peach nectar on top of the milk mixture

Unlike peach ice cream I've had in the past, this peach ice cream doesn't use diced peaches.  The peaches are completely pureed until smooth, resulting in an ice cream that truly melts in your mouth.  If you prefer ice cream with more texture, dice some of the peaches and stir them in before putting the mixture in the ice cream maker.

It may look like vanilla, but it tastes like peach!

Take advantage of nature's bounty and make some peach ice cream while peaches are in season.  If you're not a fan of peaches, celebrate National Ice Cream Month with this homemade vanilla ice cream instead.

Peach Ice Cream

1 1/2 Quarts

4 medium size fresh peaches, peeled and sliced

2 Tbsp. sugar

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 tsp. salt

1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk

1 (5 oz.) can evaporated milk

1 1/4 cups whole milk

3/4 cup peach nectar

Puree peaches, sugar, lemon juice and salt in a blender until smooth.  Combine sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk and whole milk.  Add the peach mixture and peach nectar to the milk mixture.  Cover and chill 30 minutes.

Pour mixture into the freezer container of an electric ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturers' instructions.  Transfer ice cream to an airtight container and freeze until firm, about 2 hours.

© Margaret's Morsels