Try this delicious Homemade Peach Ice Cream with a twist. We’ve replaced some of the sugar with our homemade Peach Preserves. Store bought preserves will work just fine and the results are just…well….peachy. It’s a perfect cool and refreshing treat for a hot summer day. Make the ice cream base a day or two ahead of time if needed, then you can just add some ice and salt to the ice cream maker and crank out a new family favorite that everyone will enjoy.
Homemade Peach Preserve Ice Cream Recipe:
My daddy helped build this little church that’s down in Harnett County. I was probably about 4 or 5 years old at the time I recall attending but, I have lots of great memories about this little church. As that young child, I even sang, “He’s Got The Whole World In His Hands,” in front of the entire church congregation. What could I have possibly been thinking?
After having church meetings on front porches and in an old pack house for awhile, the community of worshippers came together and built Bethunes Chapel Church. It was a very rural area of the county and, the little church was erected just down the road from “Deadman’s Curve.” Perhaps God had a plan.
Lester Lucas had a store just up the road in the other direction and, you could easily see his store while looking out that window on the right in the photo above. My cousins and I often sat on the back row in that corner, mostly doing about anything except listening to the sermon being delivered by Preacher Phillips.
An old pot bellied stove kept the church partially warm during the winter months. My dad was a deacon in the church and would often times get the fire going first thing on Sunday mornings.
During the summer and, without any air conditioning, those windows would be raised high to let any breeze that might be blowing flow inside. About everyone had a handheld fan and they stayed busy fanning away throughout the sermon trying to keep cool. I don’t know if they fanned harder based on the sermon…or…if the preacher preached harder based on the motions of the fans.
After church, and to our parents dis-approval, my cousins and I would jump out that very same window. We’d play tag or hide-and-go-seek in the church yard while the adults talked. It was a time that’s not as rushed as today and, people would hang around for a good while, talking and catching up on area news that had happened since last Sunday’s meeting.
Every once in awhile, the church would have Dinner on the Grounds. It must have been some special occasion because, the women folk would bring all kinds of home cooked goodies to church. After the service, old rigged together tables would be erected around back underneath the big old shade trees. Then, after Preacher Phillips had said grace, we’d all enjoy that great food.
It wouldn’t be long after the meal before we’d see one of the old hand cranked ice cream freezers being setup. What a special time that was for us kids. The adult men would fill that wooden bucket with ice and start hand cranking the old handle to make ice cream. I’m guessing the ice probably came from Lester Lucas’ store.
Making Homemade Ice Cream:
We’d stop running long enough to watch the work needed to make the ice cream. It seemed to take forever. The men would turn with one arm for awhile, then switch and turn with the other arm. Sometimes they took turns. And of course as kids, we wanted to help so we’d ask if we could give it a try. It was just too hard though and, they’d tease us for not being man enough to turn that old handle. Looking back, I think they may have just waited until the ice cream was getting thick and difficult to turn before they’d even let us try.
As the ice cream maker started doing its thing, the men would fold a towel and get one of us to sit on top to help hold the freezer down as they continued to crank away. Then, they’d finally decide it was…..ready.
It was quite exciting for us to see them take off the top and expose that white, creamy, cold mixture. They’d rake the ice cream off the paddle and then put the lid back on the freezer and cover it up, telling us it was going to be a little while longer before we could have some. It was worth the wait though.
When the ice cream was finally served, we would line up to get a cup. I guess we didn’t get very much but, what we did go away with, was a rare treat for us all. It sure could turn a hot, sweaty, summer Sunday afternoon into a great time to be a kid.
The little old church is still standing today. I don’t think it’s ever gone very long without someone still using it to hold church services over the years. I’m sure my dad and the others would really be proud of that fact. There’s no way of knowing how many hard core sinners changed their lives inside that little building.
We moved away not long after those times. I think we returned a time or two for revival meetings but not many.
I was grown and married before I ever made another visit back to the little church. It surely wasn’t as big as I had remembered. And, I guess it had settled into the ground a good bit because that window wasn’t as high off the ground as I remember either.
Pastor Phillips has been in Heaven for some time now. He was a great man. I’ve judged every pastor I’ve met since…on how they would compare to Preacher Phillips. He will always remain my idea of what a true pastor is all about. Without having ever discussed it, just yesterday, I heard my older brother pretty much make the same comment to someone else while they were talking about past memories.
The community has grown tremendously. Lester Lucas’ old store with it’s partial dirt floor is long gone. Deadman’s Curve still continues to live up to it’s name. I guess one day, the little old church will finally be taken down…but…the memories made there will live with us forever.
Peach Preserve Ice Cream:
I pretty much just remember Vanilla Ice Cream. In talking with my brother, he mentioned that daddy use to make some Peach Ice Cream every once in awhile. That got me wondering what it might be like to make some with my home made Peach Preserves.
In 2011, I was honored to win both First Place and Best of Show with my Peach Preserves that I entered into the North Carolina State Fair. I’d also picked up a ribbon for them at our local regional fair.
Peach season is just getting started here in the South. I purchased a couple of pounds just to create this recipe. They weren’t as ripe as I’d prefer but, it want be long before we’ll be getting some really great ones around our parts. So, if you’d like to give it a try….dust off the old ice cream freezer, grab a bag or two of crushed ice, some Rock Salt and…..Let’s Get Cooking!!!
Peach Preserve Ice Cream Recipe: You’ll need these ingredients.
Begin by squeezing the juice from one fresh lemon. Remove any seeds from the juice that might fall in. It’s best if you take the lemon and roll it around on your counter top using slight pressure from the palm of your hand. Or, you can pop one into the microwave for about 10 seconds and that will also help soften it up and produce more juice.
Fill a medium sized saucepan about half way full with water. Sit the pan on your stove with the heat about medium-high to bring the water to a boil.
Drop the peaches into the boiling water and cut the heat off. Let the peaches sit in this water for about 2-3 minutes, swirling and rolling them around during the process. This will help loosen the skins of the peaches and is a quick and easy way to remove them. This is the same process we use in actually making our homemade Peach Preserves.
Remove the heated peaches and place them in a bowl of cold water. Ice water would be nice if you have it.
If the peaches are ripe, you can pretty much slip the skins right off of them. Just use a knife or your fingernail to break under the skin and it should easily peel right off.
Run a knife around the middle of the peach to slice it into halves. You can only cut down to the pit inside so you’ll have to turn the peach as you’re cutting. Then, remove the pit…or stone…from the peach.
We don’t have the “Freestone” peach variety available just yet. These are some of the very first peaches of the season and with this variety, the pits were a bit more difficult to remove in a couple of them. The Freestone variety has a pit that will pretty much pop right out after you cut it. Also, these weren’t as ripe as I’d preferred which made them a bit on the firm side.
You could also just peel the peaches without dropping them in the water bath. I actually ended up peeling one of the peaches that I used because it was so firm at this point. Either way, once you have them peeled and have removed the pits, chop the peaches into small bite sized pieces.
Place the cut peaches into a small bowl and sprinkle the lemon juice over them. The lemon juice will keep them from turning brown but, it also adds a little extra flavor to our recipe.
Grab a spoon and lightly toss the peaches around to coat them with the lemon juice. Then, just sit them aside for the next few steps.
Separate the egg yolks from the whites. Wonder why they’re called whites? Why don’t they call them…clears? They’re more clear than they are white at this point….right? The whites will be great to make an omelet with for breakfast…so…just store them in the refrigerator until morning.
You’ll need one “packed” cup of Brown Sugar.
When measuring Brown Sugar, it’s recommended that it be a “packed” measurement. Just measure out what your recipe calls for, pat it down a bit, and add more if needed to get the full one cup. Most other measurements in cooking don’t call for this “packed” way of measuring. You’ll see measurements listed as a “level” cup or, spoonful…things of that nature. In those recipes, you’d fill the cup with your flour, sugar etc. then use a knife to scrape across the top and “level” the top…without packing it. Confused yet? Don’t be…let’s keep moving.
Place the Egg yolks in a large mixing bowl and then add in the cup of packed Brown Sugar.
Add the salt.
Whisk all the ingredients together until they’re all mixed up really good.
Take that same saucepan you used to boil water in and, place it back on your stove, set to medium heat. Add in the cup of Whole Milk.
Add in the can of Eagle Brand Condensed Milk.
Condensed Milk: Most likely you’ll see it labeled as Sweetened Condensed Milk. It’s cows milk that has undergone a process to remove water. Sugar is then added to it making the milk a thick sweet milk product that can be canned and stored without refrigeration for years. You may see a recipe that calls for it either way as…Condensed Milk…or…Sweetened Condensed Milk. It’s pretty much one in the same. Unsweetened Condensed Milk has been produced but doesn’t store and keep as well.
Evaporated Milk: This is milk that has gone through a more complex process and is not sweetened.
Note: This little bit of milk information has been “condensed” from information you can find here if you’re inclined to look into it further.
Continue to stir the milk mixture as it begins to warm up.
Use a candy thermometer and bring the milk mixture up to 170º and let it cook for about one minute at this temperature.
Temper the eggs: Now, this part is crucial to the entire success of the recipe.
Remove the saucepan with the heated milk from the stove. Begin to add just a very slight amount of the milk mixture into the egg and sugar mixture. You MUST whisk it vigorously as you add it. Pour in a couple of Tablespoons of milk at the time and, keep repeating the process as you work it into the eggs and sugar. We do this to slowly bring the temperature of the eggs up to the temperature of the milk.
If you just poured the milk into the eggs and sugar…the eggs would soon become scrambled eggs. Naturally, you don’t want that to happen. Just keep adding small amounts of the milk and continue to whisk it all together. Keep doing these steps until you have all of the milk mixed into the eggs and sugar. It’s easy….just don’t get into a hurry. This is how you “temper” the eggs.
After you “temper” the eggs….pour the whole mixture back into the saucepan.
Add the chopped peaches into the milk mixture.
Add the Vanilla Extract.
Stir it all up really well.
Place the saucepan back on your stove, on medium heat. Using the candy thermometer again, keep stirring as you bring the mixture back up to 170º. If you don’t have the thermometer, you just want to bring the heat up as much as possible WITHOUT actually bringing it to a boil. The milk will need to cook for a few minutes to thicken it up into a custard consistency. Keep stirring so nothing scorches on the bottom.
The mixture needs to cook for about 5 minutes…or…just until it’s of the consistency to where…if you pull the spoon out and drag your finger across the back of the spoon… it will leave a trail and not run back together. If it keeps running back together…it needs to cook down a little more. This will also help soften the peaches for the finished product.
Once the custard has cooked to its proper consistency, remove the saucepan from heat. I just sit my entire pan in an empty sink. Then, add in the Peach Preserves.
Stir the Peach Preserves into the custard base until they dissolve.
At this point, we need to cool the custard. I turn on the cold water from the tap and let it rise up around the sides of my saucepan. Adding ice would also be good if you have extra. You’ll also want to check back every few minutes and stir the custard as it cools.
After it’s cooled properly, pour the custard into a small bowl with a plastic top and cover it. Seal the top and place this custard base in your refrigerator for at least 6 hours if possible. Overnight…is best.
You can make this custard base a day or so ahead of time and just keep it chilled in the refrigerator until you’re actually ready to make your homemade ice cream. It’s a convenient step to do ahead of time and save having so much to do after that big meal you’ve prepared for the family picnic.
Follow Your Manufacturers Directions for making Ice Cream with your particular freezer.
Because of the variations involved in making Homemade Ice Cream from one manufacturer to the other, I’m not going to go too in depth with how to freeze the actual ice cream. You may have a different unit than what I’m using so you MUST follow the directions that came with your home ice cream freezer. Just use the custard base from above and proceed as needed.
I’m using an Electric Ice Cream Freezer in the steps below. Maybe you have one of the original old hand crank types…or maybe one of the newer counter top models that don’t even require using ice and rock salt. I’m adding the few steps involved below, just to give you an idea of how MY finished product was created.
After thoroughly cleaning all of the parts for the freezer unit, I’m inserting the dasher into the canister.
Remove the custard base from the fridge and pour it into the canister.
Then, I added enough Whole Milk to bring the mixture up to the Fill Line for my unit.
The cover was placed on top and secured.
The sealed canister is centered in the wooden bucket of my ice cream maker. Again, you’ll need to follow the instructions that came with your specific unit.
The motor unit is seated on top of the canister and latched down. Once I was certain everything was properly set and, that the canister could be turned freely by hand…I plugged the unit up and got the canister turning.
Then, the process of layering ice and rock salt began. Ice was first added to the bottom.
After about each 3 inch layer of ice, Rock Salt is sprinkled all around the layer of ice. These steps are repeated until the ice reaches the bottom of the lid to the canister. Don’t cover the lid with ice. About a cup of water was then poured over the top of the ice. The water helps the ice to melt and settle in all around the canister…which in turn…shortens the time needed to freeze the ice cream. It also helps to keep the ice from jamming the canister as it turns and causing the motor to stop before it’s suppose to.
My instructions said it would take about 30 minutes for my ice cream to start to harden. During this entire process, more ice and rock salt is added as it melts in the bucket. The bucket has a drain hole towards the top for the melted ice and water to freely drain out. Make sure that a piece of ice does’t block that drain hole.
After about 15-20 minutes, I started hearing the motor was turning a little bit slower. That was all good. Before long, the entire motor just ground to a full halt. At that time, according to the instructions for my unit, I unplugged the motor. I think I’m getting close.
I removed the motor unit from the top of the bucket.
Then…I removed the canister top…and this is what I had. Soft serve Ice Cream anyone?
In talking with my older brother about making homemade Ice Cream…he told me how he always enjoyed it when that dasher was pulled out of the Ice Cream and cleaned off. Then, he started talking about how exciting it was to be handed the dasher and, to be able to lick it clean of the little bits of cream that was left on it.
Hmmmm. Funny but, I don’t have any of THOSE memories. Now that I look back on it….I guess there’s a good reason behind it. Apparently, HE was the one that got to enjoy THAT part of it all. Where was I during those times? Gotta love older brothers huh?
You could certainly just dig in and enjoy the soft serve texture of the Ice Cream at this point. Or, you could pack the ice cream into containers and place it in the freezer to fully harden…or ripen…as it’s referred to.
The instructions on my freezer called for plugging up the lid on the canister. A small cork was included to fill the hole where the dasher had stuck through the top to connect with the motor. Once the hole was plugged, it was recommended to fill the bucket with ice, even over the top of the sealed canister and then place a towel on top of that. It says if the Ice Cream is prepared in this fashion that it will continue to harden right inside the canister.
Instead of doing that, I filled several containers and stored them in the freezer unit of my refrigerator to enjoy later.
And…..I’ll admit it…I licked the dasher and enjoyed some of the soft serve variety from the bottom of the ice cold canister.
It was about two days later when I had the chance to pull the completed Ice Cream out of the freezer and setup this photo.
That’s the actual jar of Peach Preserves that won me First Place and Best of Show at the North Carolina State Fair in 2011. I was so proud of that. I don’t eat out of that jar but I’ve continued to hang on to it. The jar was opened for taste testing at the fair. The fruit has risen a bit more to the top over the past months. Another unopened jar is in the background.
This Homemade Peach Preserve Ice Cream with its brown sugar and fresh peaches tasted pretty good…if I must say so myself. Since I only used the one cup of Brown Sugar and the Cup of prepared Peach Preserves, it wasn’t overly sweet and had a light, creamy flavor and texture. You could certainly use store bought Preserves to make it at your home. Canned peaches would probably also work just as easily as the fresh ones. The fresh ones were slightly cooked but still had a little “crunch” when you bit into them.
I do hope you’ll give this recipe a try. I’d love to know how you like it. Peaches are just now coming into season here in the South and I’m all eager to cook up some more recipes featuring local area grown peaches here on Taste of Southern. You’ve got the full step-by-step instructions here and the printable recipe and instructions are below.
Enjoy!!!
