Caramelized Peach Ice Cream Food

CARAMELIZED PEACH ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, lightly score bottom of each peach with an X, using a paring knife. Add peaches to boiling water and blanch until skin is pulling away, about 1 minute. Transfer to a bowl of ice water. When cool enough to handle, peel and pit peaches. Cut into 1/2-inch pieces.
• Combine peaches and sugar in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until just caramelized and syrupy, about 20 minutes. Let cool completely. (You should have about 1 1/4 cups.)
• Chill a loaf pan in freezer at least 10 minutes. Freeze and churn custard base in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions. Add peaches at end of churning and churn 5 more minutes; transfer to pan. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze until hardened, at least 2 hours; ice cream can be frozen up to 2 weeks ahead.

CARAMELIZED PEACHES OR NECTARINES

Steps:

• Set a strainer over a bowl and cut the nectarines into the strainer, so their juice collects in the bowl.
• Heat the butter in a non-stick skillet over medium heat.
• When it is hot but not smoking, add the nectarines and sauté them until they sizzle and their juices reduce and begin to thicken, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Sprinkle the sugar over them and sauté until the juices further thicken and the sugar caramelizes slightly, about 1 minute. You may want to increase the heat under the pan to medium-high.
• Add the lemon juice and sauté until the juices thicken, then add any nectarine juice that collected in the bowl, and shake the pan so that all is well blended.
• Let the nectarines cook, shaking the pan occasionally, until the juices are very thick, which will take a minute or so. The total cooking time will be about 6 minutes.
• Transfer the nectarines to 4 warmed dessert plates, or to a warmed serving dish, let sit for about 4 minutes so they are not blistering hot when served.

CARAMELIZED SKILLET PEACHES

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, toss together peaches, lemon juice, salt, and cinnamon; set aside.
• Melt butter and sugar in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add peach mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, until caramelized, about 5 minutes. If using bourbon or rum, add to skillet, and cook until reduced, about 1 minute.
• Serve immediately over ice cream, if desired.

CARAMELIZED PEACH TATIN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 * F.
• Combine sugar, water, and corn syrup in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over moderate heat.
• Simmer without stirring until an amber caramel forms, about 6 minutes.
• Pour caramel into an 8 inch ovenproof skillet ( cast iron is great !), tilting to coat the bottom.
• Set peach halves in caramel, cut sides up.
• On a lightly floured surface, cut the puff pastry into an 9 inch round, to cover an 8 inch skillet.
• Set the round over the peaches in the skillet, and bake until the pastry is richly browned and puffed, about 28 minutes.
• Remove the skillet from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes.
• Carefully invert the peach tart onto a cake plate/platter, and let cool slightly.
• Cut the tart into wedges and serve with vanilla ice cream.

CARAMELIZED PEACH ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Generously butter the cut portion of each peach half and place cut-side down into a baking pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until mostly cooked and bubbly, about 20 minutes. Turn peaches over with a spatula and sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon into the juicy halves.
• Cover the pan with foil and continue to bake until peaches are fully cooked and sugar is mixed with butter and juices form a caramel in the pan, about 15 more minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat milk and split vanilla bean in a large pan over medium heat, stirring to avoid any burning. Keep at a low simmer.
• Whisk together egg yolks, white sugar, cornstarch, and vanilla extract in a bowl until well combined.
• When peaches are done, remove skins (and eat them, they're delicious!). Add peeled peaches and all the caramelized juices into the hot milk. Stir to combine and simmer for about 10 minutes.
• Remove vanilla bean and scrape the seeds into the hot milk.
• Use an immersion blender to puree the peaches and the milk. Be careful as the mixture is really hot.
• Slowly whisk 1/2 cup of the hot milk mixture into the egg yolk mixture. Add more hot milk slowly to temper the mixture.
• Remove milk from heat and allow to cool to 170 degrees F (76 degrees C). Whisk in egg yolk mixture and return to low heat, whisking constantly, until a custard forms, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Strain custard through a sieve. Mixture will be really thick, so working it through with a silicone spatula can take up to 10 minutes as you press and stir.
• Pour mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions, about 20 minutes. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze until firm, about 4 hours.

PEACH-PECAN ICE CREAM PIE WITH CARAMEL SAUCE

Steps:

• Make crust:
• Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter 9-inch-diameter springform pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides. Mix cookie crumbs and melted butter in medium bowl until crumbs are evenly moistened. Press crumb mixture firmly onto bottom and 1 inch up sides of prepared pan. Bake until crust is set and pale golden, about 15 minutes. Cool completely.
• Make caramel sauce:
• Combine sugar and 1/2 cup water in heavy medium saucepan. Stir over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium-high; boil without stirring until syrup is deep amber color, occasionally brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush and swirling pan, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat. Gradually add cream (mixture will bubble vigorously). Stir over low heat until any caramel bits dissolve and sauce is smooth, about 1 minute. Stir in vanilla. Let stand until cool but still pourable, about 1 hour.
• Drizzle 1/4 cup cooled caramel sauce over bottom of crust. Freeze until caramel sets, about 10 minutes. Spread 1 quart ice cream over caramel in crust. Sprinkle chopped pecans over ice cream. Drizzle 1/2 cup caramel sauce over ice cream. Freeze until caramel sets, about 10 minutes. Spread remaining ice cream over. Freeze until top of pie is firm, about 1 hour.
• Arrange pecan halves in 3 concentric circles around top of pie. Drizzle 1/4 cup caramel sauce over pie. Freeze pie until frozen solid, at least 4 hours. (Can be prepared 5 days ahead. Cover tightly with foil; keep frozen. Cover and chill remaining caramel sauce.)
• Rewarm remaining caramel sauce over low heat, stirring often. Cut around pan sides to loosen pie. Let pie soften slightly at room temperature, about 10 minutes. Remove pan sides. Serve pie with warm caramel sauce.