Ginger Peach Ice Cream

Really, I should be writing about all the great food I ate in New York. Not just because I want to re-live it or brag but mostly because I don't want to forget. And as we all know, once something's on the internet, it's there forever.

But before summer ends (oops!), I wanted to share this recipe. Because it's mine, all mine! As in, I tried to search for a good ginger peach ice cream and came up with nothing. So here ya go.

Ginger Peach Ice Cream
Makes 1 quart or about 8 servings

1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 large or 3 medium eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons grated ginger root
4 or 5 fresh or frozen peaches (skinless), pureed
Peach preserves (optional)

Beat milk and eggs together in a large saucepan. Add sugar, ginger and
vanilla extract, and cook over medium-low heat. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until slightly thickened and registering 170F on a thermometer. If you don't have a thermometer, just cook it long enough so that it thickens like a custard but does not boil.

Remove from heat and allow to cool. Stir in cream and pureed peaches. Mix with a stick blender (this is what I do--I don't pour it through a sieve and have never had an issue with my custards). Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours and then pour the mix into your ice cream maker according to the directions. Afterward, the ice cream will still be soft, so stir in some peach preserves for a ribbon of peach and store in the freezer.

I really like ginger, so I added more. Eh, I don't really recommend this. The colder the ice cream got, the more gingery it tasted. And some other add-ins might have been nice. Maybe some cookies or something to resemble a pie crust? Mmm...

So why ginger peach? Well, back during peach season, my eyes were bigger than my body's ability to eat peaches in a timely manner. Peaches are wily little fruits. One day, they're too firm, the next day--poof!--mushy and moldy. The fact that I keep my house at 80 degrees (even hotter on the kitchen side of the house) doesn't help. Anyhoo. Once any peach started looking questionable, I just tossed it in the freezer. Even after two months, they were fine even without being wrapped up. I let them thaw, skinned them and they were ready to go. Also? I love peaches, but I'm not a huge fan of peach flavor. But one day, I just thought, hey, ginger would be a great compliment to peaches in ice cream! And I was right. I really like this recipe a lot.