Peach Melba Ice Cream

I have been aware of various blog baking challenges existing for a few months now.  However I've not felt entirely keen on trying to sign up to any.  This is mainly down to their rules or how they work.  For example, baking a specific recipe and it being compulsory to take part in so many of the challenges each year.  As much as I would like my blog to get more traffic, I felt these kind of things were really restrictive.  What if I didn't like the sound of the recipe?  Or didn't have anyone that could eat it and therefore it would go to waste?  Or I just didn't have time to take part because my schedule got unexpectedly busy?  Then the challenge would feel like a chore and not something fun, which is what baking is for me.

So I cannot tell you how excited I was when I stumbled across The Lady Behind The Curtain's Dessert Challenge.  It sounded so wonderfully simple.  Each month you're challenged to bake something that includes two particular ingredients, and it has to be a dessert.  That's it.  Oh, and it can't have been on your blog before.  What's the fun in doing something you've already done?  Plus, there's no obligation.  If the ingredients aren't your cup of tea then no worries, just sit the month out.  I loved the sound of it so I had to sign up.

And that's what today's post centres around.  This is my first entry into the Dessert Challenge.  This month's ingredients: peaches and cream.  Admittedly, I was actually considering not doing it this month as I had no idea what I would do with those ingredients.  I am not that keen on peaches and pretty much everyone else I know was on holiday or I wouldn't see until after the post was due to go out.  It wasn't until Thursday last week that it hit me that I could make ice cream with it.  That way, even if the fiancé and I decided it wasn't our kind of thing, the stuff would keep and we could serve it up to someone who would like it at a later date.  It even turned out that my lovely ice cream book that I got for practically nothing at The Works had a recipe for peaches ice cream too, although I ended up mixing it together with the recipe for plum ice cream because, as always, I wanted a custard base.

I decided to add a little something extra to the recipe as well and put a raspberry ripple through it, which was inspired by the dessert Peach Melba (ice cream, peaches and raspberry sauce).  I used the same method as I had done with the blueberry ripple (though messed with the amounts slightly) and actually got an even better syrup than last time.  This one stayed syrupy even after sitting on the side for several hours whilst I waited for the ice cream to firm up.  I was quite pleased.  Maybe I slightly overcooked it last time?

Really, my only problem with this, again, was that my ice cream maker wouldn't freeze the mixture as it churned.  The kitchen wasn't even hot this time so I'm now wondering if the freezer isn't cold enough.  We adjusted the temperature for the fridge a couple of weeks ago because it kept freezing everything on the bottom shelf, but it seems that gauge is also connected to the freezer so it's now less cold in there too.  Still freezes things fine but apparently isn't so good for the ice cream maker's bowl, which is rather annoying.  So I had to do it the old fashioned way again and consequently ended up with a few ice crystals in my ice cream.  Oh well.

Despite the ever so slight crunch, it is still yummy.  The fiancé calls it refreshing because whilst it is creamy it is also juicy thanks to all the peach purée.  The peach and raspberry go really well together too.  All in all, a fairly successful recipe that will get eaten by us.

Recipe - makes 0.6L

Peach Ice Cream - adapted from Best Ever Recipes Ice Cream

• 400g/14oz tin peach halves in light syrup
• 65g/2.5oz caster sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• 150ml/5fl.oz whole milk
• 150ml/5fl.oz double cream

Raspberry Ripple:

• 150g/5oz raspberries (fresh or frozen)
• 2 tbsp caster sugar
• 3 tbsp water 

1. Put the peaches and syrup in a saucepan, along with 40g/1.5oz of the caster sugar.  Heat until the sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.  Set aside to cool.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and remaining 25g/1oz caster sugar until the mixture is pale in colour and resembles mousse.
3. Put the cream and milk in a saucepan and heat until it just starts bubbling around the edges.
4. Slowly pour the cream mixture over the egg mousse, whisking as you do so.
5. Transfer back into the pan and place over a gentle heat.
6. Cook the mixture to a custard, stirring the whole time without letting it boil.  You either want the mixture to reach a temperature of 76°C/170°F or so it is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.
7. Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a clean bowl.
8. Once the peaches are cooled, blend them into a purée and add them to the custard.  Stir until they are fully combined then put the mixture in the fridge to chill for at least 2 hours.
9. Once the mixture has chilled, churn according to ice cream maker's instructions.
10. Meanwhile, make the ripple by combining the raspberries, sugar and water in a saucepan.
11. Cook over a medium heat until the fruit has broken down, stirring regularly to prevent burning.
12. Pour the mixture through a sieve into a clean pan to remove the seeds.  Press down on anything left in the sieve with a spoon to get as much liquid out as possible.
13. Return the new pan to the heat and bring to a boil.  Cook the mixture until it reduces to a thick syrup.  Set aside to cool.
14. Once the ice cream has churned but is still soft, put a third into a freezer safe container.  Drizzle on half the ripple syrup.
15. Repeat with a second third of the ice cream and the rest of the syrup, then top with the last of the ice cream.
16. Use a fork or butter knife to ripple the two mixtures together.
17. Put in the freezer and freeze overnight.

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