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Preserving Summer: Peach Gelato

August 21st, 2009 · 8 Comments

redhaven peaches at market

It’s peach season and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that they hold out long enough for me to can some for winter. In the meantime, here’s the peach gelato that made me swoon, if I do say so myself.

Ever wonder what the difference is between ice cream and gelato? Sherbet and sorbet? As far as I can tell, from my extensive google research, the difference between ice cream, gelato, sherbet and sorbet is something like this:

  • ice cream, French = milk, cream, eggs
  • ice cream, Philadelphia/American = milk, cream, no eggs
  • gelato = milk, maybe eggs, no cream
  • sorbet = just fruit, no dairy or eggs
  • sherbet = milk, no cream and no eggs

Still confused? Short version: if you taste the cream first, it’s ice cream. If you taste the fruit first, it’s gelato. That’s the official FoodieTots definition at any rate. Now I set out to make Philadelphia-style peach ice cream, but the bottle I had labeled cream was in fact buttermilk; instead I used my cream-top whole milk, so while it has a little cream it is mostly milk. It has the texture and strongly fruit-forward taste of gelato, so that’s what I’m calling it.

peach gelato

Recipe: Peach Gelato

Ingredients:

  • 4-5 peaches (1 1/2 pounds), peeled
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1/2 vanilla bean (or 1 teaspoon vanilla)
  • 1 cup cream-top whole milk
  • juice of 1 lemon wedge

Instructions: I use the boil/ice bath method to peel peaches. It seems like a hassle but trust me, it’s a lot easier and time saving in the long run then trying to scrape peels off with a paring knife.  Score the bottom of each peach with a small “x” cut, then drop them into boiling water for 20 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon and place them into a colander set in ice water for several seconds, then set on cutting board and leave several minutes to cool. The skins will pretty much slip right off at that point.

Dice the peaches and place in a medium stock pot over medium high heat, add honey and seeds of the vanilla bean. Cook until peaches begin to fall apart, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for several minutes. Add milk and blend in small batches in a blender, or use an immersion blender in the pot. I recommend the regular blender to make sure there are no chunks — in a home freezer, the chunks of fruit get too icy and aren’t as flavorful as in commercial ice creams. Stir in the lemon juice and pour into a glass bowl or pitcher. Chill thoroughly in the refrigerator (I leave it overnight) and then process according to your ice cream maker’s instructions. (I use the Kitchen Aid ice cream attachment and mix it for 10-12 minutes, until it thickens and reaches a very soft icy consistency, then freeze for 3-4 hours.) Enjoy!

Shared with Fight Back Fridays at the Food Renegade, because once you’ve had homemade ice cream — or gelato — you’ll never go back to that commercial chemical goop from the supermarket.

Tags: at market · dairy · dessert · fruit · recipes

8 responses so far ↓

  • 1 Desiree@Foodista // Aug 24, 2009 at 11:55 pm

    I just love gelatos! Peach is such a good fruit for making this – and it’s a great treat for summer too! If you don’t mind I’d love to direct our Foodista readers to your blog. If you’re interested, just add your choice of widget to this post and you’re all set!

  • 2 Tiffany // Aug 25, 2009 at 8:30 pm

    Yum! I have always wondered what the difference was between all the various frozen treats- thanks for the foodie tots definition. Your gelato looks delicious.

  • 3 Fight Back Fridays August 21st | Food Renegade // Aug 27, 2009 at 8:23 pm

    […] (Rick Bayless – Frontera Farmers Foundation)28. Guide to Good Food (Eat Less Meat-and enjoy it!)29. Preserving Summer: Peach Gelato (FoodieTots)30. Moms for Safe Food – Homeopathy, real traditional medicine31. Prudent and Practical (Red Beans […]

  • 4 mary // Aug 27, 2009 at 11:14 pm

    Yum. Too bad I’m out of peaches. Guess I’ll have to get some more.

    p.s., Hope you’ll come to the food blogger happy hour on September 2nd at Poste.

  • 5 August 28th: SK Showcase and Weekend Links — Simple Kids // Aug 28, 2009 at 10:27 am

    […] Tots: Preserving Summer: Peach Gelato justJENN recipes: Inari […]

  • 6 Sylvie, Rappahannock Cook & Kitchen Gardener // Nov 23, 2009 at 8:16 pm

    arggh!

    I don’t know how I missed this post this past summer. I would have loved to try this variation on peach ice-cream! need to wait until next year now… or maybe I’ll try it with canned peaches (since I can mine “au naturel” except for a little lemon)
    .-= Sylvie, Rappahannock Cook & Kitchen Gardener´s last blog post ..Postcard From The Field =-.

  • 7 kitchenaid standmixer // Apr 22, 2010 at 12:41 am

    Great articles & Nice a site. 36

  • 8 FoodieTots.com » Blog Archive » Local Potluck Tuesday (and Recipes for Peach Season) // Jul 20, 2010 at 12:19 am

    […] Peach Gelato […]