Homemade Peach Ice Cream

Here we are at the tail end of Colorado peach season, and I'm finally getting around to making some homemade peach ice cream. Delicious Palisade peaches come from the Western Slope of Colorado. (They also grow some nice grapes for wine in that region. Hmmm... peaches and wine... Am I on the wrong side of the Rocky Mountains?)

September still has some weather warm enough for ice cream, so I looked to David Lebovitz's aptly named Perfect Scoop to find my recipe. I've sampled several recipes out of this book since I bought my lovely red ice cream maker earlier this summer, and the man hasn't lead me astray yet.

The last couple ice cream recipes that I've tried have been custard-based, but this one does not use eggs. This recipe uses sour cream which gives the ice cream a subtle tang, and it isn't overly sweet. The peach flavor shines through.

This was one of those recipes that our toddlers were more than happy to test out for us. (Harissa? Not so much.) The verdict? "Tasty!"

Peach Ice Cream

• 5 medium-sized peaches
• 1/2 cup water
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• A few drops of freshly squeezed lemon juice

Peel the peaches, slice them in half, and remove the pits.  Cut the peaches into chunks and cook them with the water in a medium, nonreactive saucepan over medium heat, covered, stirring once or twice, until soft and cooked through, about 10 minutes.
Remove from the heat, stir in the sugar, then cool to room temperature.
Puree the cooked peaches and any liquid in a blender or food processor with the sour cream, heavy cream, vanilla, and lemon juice until almost smooth but slightly chunky.
Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.