One of my favorite childhood memories is when we had a huge family party at our house and my Grandma Niederhauser brought the makings of her famous ice cream. Her rich cooked custard base was mixed with fresh peaches in an old fashioned ice cream maker; it was packed with salt and ice, and the men took turns with the hand crank. I can still remember how incredible that ice cream tasted. It’s rare, nowadays, for anyone to make ice cream in a hand crank machine, since the automatic ice cream makers streamline the production. The ice cream is almost as good, but the experience isn’t as memorable. Fresh Peach Ice Cream has been adapted for the automatic ice cream machine, and can be frozen in about 20 minutes.

Although I prefer my Grandma’s Old Fashioned Ice Cream, it’s time consuming to plan ahead, cook the custard, and chill it before actually making the ice cream, so, unless I’m having a big crowd, I stick with this easy recipe.

12 Servings

4 medium peaches
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Ice cream base:
2 eggs
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream

1. Fill a saucepan about 3/4 full with water. Put the lid on and bring the water to a boil. Put the peaches in the boiling water for 1 minute- no more. Remove the peaches from the boiling water and run cold water over them to cool them down. Now the peels will slip off. Cut the peaches in half, remove the pits, and cut into 1/2" chunks.
2. Transfer the peaches to a bowl and mix with the 3/4 cup sugar and lemon juice. Cover and refrigerate until time to put the mixture into the ice cream.
3. Measure the ice cream base ingredients into a blender or food processor and process until the sugar is dissolved. If you don't have a blender, just whisk it in a bowl until smooth.
4. Pour the mixture into the frozen bowl of an automatic ice cream maker and let run for 15 minutes; pour in the peach mixture and continue running until the ice cream is set.
5. Transfer to an airtight container and put in the freezer until ready to serve.

* Egg Notes: I always purchase very fresh eggs from a busy supermarket, and have never had a problem using raw eggs. If you are unsure about using them, you may use pasteurized egg substitute instead, or, leave them out entirely.

Amount Per Serving
Calories 206 Calories from Fat 95
Percent Total Calories From: Fat 46% Protein 4% Carb. 50%

Nutrient Amount per Serving
Total Fat 11 g
Saturated Fat 6 g
Cholesterol 71 mg
Sodium 75 mg
Total Carbohydrate 26 g
Dietary Fiber 0 g
Sugars 21 g
Protein 2 g

Vitamin A 12% Vitamin C 6% Calcium 0% Iron 1%