When I was little, Baskin Robbins was our ice cream of choice. I think it is actually a part of my DNA, because my mom (and dad) at so much BR when she was pregnant with me: baseball nut and butter pecan in particular. I was always partial to daquiri ice, but when that wasn’t available I would usually go for mint chocolate chip or bubblegum. We also liked Swensen’s, though that was mainly a post-dance recital kind of place. But the best ice cream is the homemade kind.

I’m not sure I have ever ordered peach ice cream in a store or restaurant. But it’s the flavor I associate with homemade ice cream. I’m not sure why — maybe that was the only flavor we ever made with that hand-crank ice cream maker in our kitchen in Phoenix. Regardless, it’s fantastic and easy to make.

I know most of the kids have gone back to school, but it is still technically summer. That means white, open-toed shoes are still authorized by even the strictest of grandmothers… and I’m seeing peaches everywhere. The Epicurious seasonal food map tells me they’re still in season in a lot of the country. So, this week I’m going to give you seven different ways to use peaches.

If you can only find hard peaches at the grocery store or market, let them sit on your counter, stem side down (in a brown paper bag if you have one) for a day or two until they soften a bit.

I’ve had some issues with the texture of ice cream from Ben & Jerry’s cookbook before, but this time it was fine. It may just be the recipe, but make sure you really whisk the eggs (you can use an electric mixer if you’d prefer), add the sugar slowly and make sure everything is really well blended before you pour it into the ice cream maker.

Peach ice cream (From Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Book) Makes 1 quart
2 cups finely chopped ripe peaches (about 2 peaches, peeled if you’d like)
1 1/4 cups sugar
Juice of 1/2 a lemon (about a tablespoon)
2 large eggs
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk

Chop the peaches and place them in a bowl with 1/2 cup of sugar and the lemon juice. Stir. Cover the bowl and put it in the refrigerator for 2 hours, stirring about every 30 minutes.

Take the bowl out of the refrigerator and drain the juice into a small bowl or measuring cup (Don’t get rid of it!). Re-cover the bowl with the peaches in it and put it back in the fridge.

In another mixing bowl, whisk the eggs until light and fluffy (at least a minute). Slowly add the remaining 3/4 cup sugar, whisking after each addition. Continue whisking until ingredients are completely blended (about another minute). Pour in the cream and milk and blend well. Add the peach juice and blend well.

Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and process until ice cream has stiffened but is a minute or two away from being done. Add the peaches and continue freezing until the ice cream is ready and the peaches are well-distributed. You may need to put the ice cream in the freezer for a few hours to firm it up.