Georgia Peach Ice Cream

By ldelmas

Ingredients

• Makes about 1 1/2 quarts, serving about 6
• 1 quart heavy cream
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, optional
• 4-6 ripe, juicy peaches
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice

Preparation

Step 1

Bring the cream almost to a boil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring often to prevent scorching. Off the heat stir in 1 cup of sugar and a tiny pinch of salt until dissolved. Add the nutmeg, if using, and let cool. Meanwhile, peel the peaches over a glass or ceramic bowl to catch all their juices. Halve, pit, and roughly chop them. Put half of them in the bowl with their juice and puree the remainder. Add the puree to the bowl, and sprinkle with the remaining sugar and lemon juice. Let stand 30 minutes.

Stir in the cream and chill at least 2 hours. Prepare an ice cream freezer according to the manufacturer’s directions, and freeze the cream until almost set—a little stiffer than soft-serve ice cream.

Pack it into a mold or covered freezable container and freeze until completely solidified. To unmold, wrap the mold with a towel heated in the clothes dryer. Loosen the edge with a knife, invert over a serving plate and lift the mold away. If it won’t budge, reheat the towel and rewrap for a minute more. To avoid last minute fuss, unmold at least an hour before serving, cover, and keep frozen.