Peachy Keen!

Mark your calendars, folks. There’s a sweet celebration coming up: July 17 is National Peach Ice Cream Day!

Peach ice cream is not your usual find at ice cream parlors, festivals, or restaurants. So when you do find it, you know you’re somewhere special. Of course, you could always make your own batch. And since we would never leave you hanging, we happen to have a contest-winning recipe right here for you to try.

Peach Ice Cream

2 cups half-and-half cream

3-1/2 cups sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

6 eggs, lightly beaten

4 cups heavy whipping cream

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

6 to 8 medium peaches, peeled and sliced or 4 cups frozen unsweetened peach slices

In a large saucepan, heat half-and-half to 175°; stir in the sugar and salt until dissolved. Whisk a small amount of hot cream mixture into the eggs. Return all to the pan, whisking constantly. Cook and stir over low heat until the mixture reaches at least 160° and coats the back of a metal spoon.

Remove from the heat. Cool quickly by placing pan in a bowl of ice water; stir for 2 minutes. Stir in whipping cream and vanilla. Press plastic wrap onto surface of custard. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

Place peaches in a blender, cover and process until pureed. Stir into the custard. Fill cylinder of ice cream freezer two-thirds full; freeze according to manufacturer’s directions.

Refrigerate remaining mixture until ready to freeze, stirring before freezing each batch. Allow to ripen in ice cream freezer or firm up in the refrigerator freezer for 2-4 hours before serving. Yield: about 3 quarts.

*Courtesy of Taste of Home online

Homemade peach ice cream sounds like a real hot-weather hit. Can you almost taste the smooth and creamy sweetness from here? We think that recipe needs one simple improvement, though. What’s the perfect partner for ice cream? Pie, of course! With flaky crusts and luscious fillings, our homemade pies will make your day. Try doubling up on the sweetness with peach ice cream and our Peachberry Cherry pie. You could get creative and pair it with pecan pie, or one of our many other flavors. Check out our Online Market page for a complete list.

Before you run off to bask in the summertime glory of pie and ice cream, we’d like to share some fit facts with you about our good friend the peach:

• The skin contains cancer-fighting antioxidants as well as the digestive aid, fiber.
• A large peach provides 333 mg of potassium, which helps regulate blood pressure.
• It’s a low-calorie choice, at about 68 calories for one large peach

We hope your week is peachy keen!