Summer Peach Ice Cream

How could I possible let National Ice Cream Month pass without giving you some tasty licks?

Jul 27, 2024

∙ Paid

“IT’LL BE A CINCH,” I said as I waved off The One. “We’ll be digging into a quart of peachy-peach ice cream tomorrow.”

Cinch, my ass!

What began as a Saturday afternoon lark took me three weeks to complete. I almost missed National Ice Cream Month—and my birthday—while I stood over my ice cream maker cursing.

I blame Ferris Acres Creamery in Newtown, CT, for my almost two gallons' worth of failed attempts on my quest for the ideal peach ice cream. The One, I, and all of our friends believe Ferris Acres to be the best ice cream in Connecticut. It even won an informal ice cream faceoff we held, beating Häagan-Dazs, trouncing Talenti, and bitch slapping both Ben and Jerry.

What makes their ice cream so incredible, besides intense flavors, is the texture. It's stretchy, almost chewy. I know, it sounds like I banged my head one too many times against the kitchen cabinet as I told my ice cream, in no uncertain terms, where I was going to shove it if it didn't churn out (pun intended) the elusive texture of Ferris Acres' frozen joy.

No matter how many times I tweaked the proportions of egg yolks, sugar, fruit, milk, and cream, I came up short. (And fatter, as I ate each batch.)

The first thing I did was toss out the yolks. For years, a lot of readers of my website, Leite's Culinaria, told me they were nervous about making scrambled-egg ice cream.

I tried light corn syrup. As an invert sugar, it helps prevent ice crystals from forming and lends a smoother texture to ice cream. But…I remembered David Lebovitz once told me people went bananas (and not in a fun way) when he called for it in a recipe. Hmmm.

Then, while flipping through Renato Poliafito's marvelous new book Dolci!, I saw he used a cornstarch slurry for his gelatos. Intrigued, I cooked a base and stirred in the slurry. An improvement for sure, but not what I was looking for.

I stumbled upon Lisa Zografou's site, Ask the Ice Cream Queen. Her deep lactose dive led her to xanthan gum, an emulsifier.1 The ice cream on her site had the look I was going for—streeeeeetchy. A few emails back and forth put me on the right track.

Martin Sorge mentioned how much he loved the Salt & Straw cookbook by Tyler Malek. I kinda thought I had a copy in my library, but I recall not thinking much of it. It seemed overly complicated and fussy. When I fished it out and took a look, it was as if the Lord Almighty herself came down and pointed to the page—it was that enlightening. In the book, Malek called for—get ready—xanthan gum, corn syrup, and whole milk powder. I read that milk powder adds texture and a marvelous milky flavor to the ice cream base.

That's when the tumbler clicked in my head. I reworked my original recipe to include all three ingredients, and I got it! So thanks, David, Renato, Lisa, Martin, and Tyler. I feel there's a wee bit of you in each lick.

So, How Good is It?

Honestly, after eight batches, my tongue was ready to retire. Luckily, our dear friends, Keith Watson and Roberta Scanlon, visited last night. Keith's from the South, so I figure he knew something about peach ice cream. Little did I know, his Mama made peach ice cream every week. Shit! Well, it was time to put my research to the test. Click the video above to watch Keith's reaction.

Testers’ Reviews

Those of you who are regular visitors to Leite's Culinaria, you didn't think I'd go rogue here on Substack and forgo my beloved testers, did you? Nev-ah!

Nadine Bonda
Peaches are the ultimate summer fruit. And what could be better on a hot day than a bowl of cold peach ice cream? This is the peach ice cream that makes those summer memories. A subtle peach base, not too sweet, and studded with pieces of fresh fruit. The ice cream is smooth and creamy. The pieces of fruit, delightful. To make straining the fruit easy, I used a spider strainer and held it over my bowl. Then I saved the syrup that the peaches were cooked in and made delicious drinks using half peach syrup and half soda water!

Nancy Garcia
Maybe this should be called Goldilocks ice cream because it's not too sweet, not too tart, and the texture is creamy. As much as I love peaches, I tend to shy away from most peach desserts because they can be extremely sweet. This ice cream has a perfect balance that enhances the peach flavor without drowning it in sugar. A pleasant surprise is how creamy this ice cream is without the addition of eggs. The technique for preparing the peaches results in tasty fruit that isn't rock hard when frozen, making the texture very pleasing. Waiting to take that first spoonful is always the most difficult part of making ice cream!

Greg Crawford
What could be better for a summertime dessert than rich, creamy ice cream studded with fresh peaches? Exactly. This recipe delivers the goods. The ice cream base is luxurious, with hints of ginger and cinnamon that draw out the wonderful peach flavor. I was skeptical—I thought the spices would detract from the peach, and I was happy to be wrong. The recipe takes work and time, but it’s really simple. There are no tricks or challenging steps. Just follow it from start to finish, and you’ll be everyone’s favorite ice cream maker.

The Magic Elixir

Don't even THINK about throwing away the leftover peach syrup. It's fantastic, sensational, entrancing, and so versatile.

Do as tester Nadine Bonda does and whip up a refreshing quaff by adding equal amounts of peach syrup and club soda in a big pitcher. Pour it over ice for a summer quencher.

Or, like Nancy Garcia, you can whip up a lovely peach agua fresca. Add some peach syrup and a squeeze of lemon juice to a few cups of water, and you're set.

My favorite, though, is what I call a Bashful Bellini. The classic Bellini, created at Harry's Bar in Venice, Italy, is made with nothing but fresh white peach purée and prosecco. Instead, drizzle a bit of the peach syrup into a dry prosecco, and you have a mildly sweet, blushing glass of bubbles—the perfect way to start an evening with friends.

If you make the ice cream, let me know what you think in the comments below. And if you have any questions or problems, please DM me here on Substack. I'm happy to help.

Chow