Eileen Goudge :: Ice Cream, Ice Cream

Ice Cream, Ice Cream

Well, the big day has come and gone, leaving me a year older but hopefully none the heavier (cake and ice cream tends to go straight to my hips). I had a fabulous birthday celebrating the kid in me. My husband, the film critic, took me to see “Toy Story 3,” his favorite movie of the summer so far. Wonderful, and perfect for all ages—I thoroughly enjoyed it. Then it was on to lunch at our favorite Upper West Side café, the Fatty Crab. Afterward, we stopped at Neuhaus Chocolates across the street, where I treated myself to a single truffle. Well, that was the plan, anyway…until my husband announced brightly to the saleswoman, “It’s my wife’s birthday!” at which point she gave me another truffle, on the house. How could I say no? The afternoon was topped off by a foot massage from my resident masseur (film critic/TV reporter by day) while we watched one of my all-time favorite movies on DVD, “The Best Years of Our Lives.” (If you haven’t seen it, shame on you.) What more could a girl ask? I’ll take a day like that over diamonds anytime.

What birthday is complete without ice cream? My friends Frank & Thomas brought me a cake, from Magnolia Bakery (remember it from “Sex and the City”?) but I happened to have ice cream on hand – homemade raspberry. My husband, the sweet-tooth fiend, plowed through that pretty quick, so this morning I made his very favorite flavor: peach ice cream. The twist in my recipe is the maple syrup. If you’re feeling ambitious and have an ice cream maker on hand, I highly recommend it.

PEACH-MAPLE ICE CREAM
1 pound ripe peaches
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 ½ cups heavy cream
½ cup milk
½ vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped
3 large egg yolks
Pinch of salt
¼ cup pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon bourbon

Peel and pit peaches, saving peels and pits. Slice into a medium saucepan. Stir in the lemon juice and ¼ cup of the sugar.   Bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, over medium-low heat until peaches are cooked and juices somewhat syrupy, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat and with a large spoon break into smaller pieces. Place in a medium bowl and set aside to cool.

In the same saucepan (no need to wash first), combine the cream and milk. Add the vanilla bean and seeds, and peach skins and pits. Bring to a simmer.   Cover and remove from heat. Let steep for 20 minutes. Strain into a bowl, then return to the saucepan. Cook on low heat until small bubbles appear around the edge and wisps of steam rise from the surface.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the remaining sugar and salt until pale yellow. Slowly pour in the infused cream, whisking all the while. Place the mixture in the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until it registers 175 degrees on a candy thermometer, 3 to 5 minutes. Immediately strain the custard into the bowl with the peaches.   Stir in the maple syrup and the bourbon.

Nest the bowl with the custard in a larger bowl partially filled with ice water. Chill until room temperature. Chill in refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight. Transfer the custard to an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer to a quart-size container and press a sheet of plastic wrap directly onto the surface. Freeze until firm, about one hour.

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OMG does that ice cr...

Comment from: Susan (Guest)

OMG does that ice cream sound good! Thanks for sharing it. I LOVE to read your posts, they are always so interesting. Thanks for sharing and Happy Belated Birthday!

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