11 Jan Brown Sugar Peach Ice Cream

Happy New Year fellow bakers, dessert-lovers and friends! Are you among the many who are starting the year on a healthy note, cutting down on sugar, dairy or fat? Then this Brown Sugar Peach Ice Cream recipe is just for you! Not because it’s sugar-, dairy- or fat-free, but because you’re going to need an indulgent dessert to dive into to reward yourself for being so healthy!

Use lovely fresh peaches in season for maximum flavour, but tinned peaches will do fine out of season.

Ingredients:

For the Ice Cream base:
375ml milk
375ml cream
pinch of salt
4 large egg yolks
185ml brown sugar

For the Peach Swirl
350g peaches (about 4 large peaches)
2 tbsp butter
1 – 2 tbsp brown sugar, to taste

Directions:

• If using an ice cream maker with a freezer bowl, remember to freeze the bowl for a minimum of 24 hours.
• Place the milk and 125ml of cream into a medium saucepan on low heat with a pinch of salt.
• Heat on low heat, stirring occasionally until the mixture just starts to bubble around the edges. Remove from the heat.
• Whisk the egg yolks and brown sugar together until pale and creamy, then gradually add in the hot milk mixture in a thin stream, whisking constantly.
• Return to the saucepan and heat on a low/medium heat, stirring constantly. When the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon, immediately remove from the heat.
• Pour the remaining 250ml of cream into a large bowl, and place a fine sieve over the top. Strain the custard into the cream and mix well. Cover the surface of the ice cream mixture directly with clingfilm. Leave to cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally (you can speed this up by placing the bowl into an ice bath). Refrigerate for 12 hours.
• To make the peach swirl, peel the peaches and slice in half. Remove the stones and chop the peach halves into small pieces.
• Place the peach pieces, butter and a little brown sugar (depending on how sweet the peaches are) into a saucepan. Heat on medium heat, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes or until the peaches are cooked through. Puree the mixture with a stick blender or pass through a sieve. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
• Once the ice cream mixture is throughly cold, churn the mixture in your ice cream maker as per the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer about a third of the ice cream to an airtight container. Add about a third of the peach mixture, then use a knife to swirl it lightly together. Repeat this process until both mixtures have been used up. Be careful not to overmix so that the swirl is still visible!