Homemade Peach Ice Cream

There is no store-bought ice cream that tastes like peach ice cream made the week the peaches come in. Fresh fruit, real cream, real eggs, and a custard base cooked in the microwave to keep the kitchen cool. This is the recipe that lives on a stained index card in every Southern grandmother’s box.

Chopping the peaches coarsely and macerating them with sugar first is the move. Sugar draws out the juice, concentrates the flavor, and keeps the fruit from turning into hard rocks of frozen peach once the custard hits the freezer. Tossed in raw, peach chunks freeze rock-hard and crack a tooth.

The cornstarch is the secret behind a microwave custard. It thickens the milk smoothly without the constant whisking of a stovetop crème anglaise, and the cornstarch also helps prevent ice crystals in the final ice cream. Add the beaten eggs gradually, not all at once, because cold eggs hitting hot milk will scramble in a heartbeat.

Chill the base completely before churning. A warm base churns into a fluffy, soft-serve texture that never sets up properly in the freezer. Overnight in the fridge is the gold standard.

Pro Tips

• Use ripe, fragrant peaches. The ice cream tastes only as good as the fruit.
• Blanch and peel the peaches first by scoring an X on the bottom, dunking in boiling water for 30 seconds, then ice water. The skins slip right off.
• Temper the eggs by whisking a ladle of hot milk into them first before pouring into the bigger mixture. Insurance against scrambling.
• Press a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the base while chilling to prevent a skin.

Variations

• Add a splash of bourbon or peach liqueur to the base for a grown-up flavor and softer scoop.
• Stir in a swirl of raspberry or blackberry jam during the last 30 seconds of churning.
• Toast a handful of pecans and fold them in for a peach-and-praline version.