Peach Ice

This is a vintage frozen peach dessert from a time when ice cream was made by packing a mold in salt and ice for hours. Fresh peaches get mashed and stirred into a simple sugar syrup, then beaten egg whites get folded in partway through freezing to lighten the texture into something closer to a sherbet than a hard ice.

The egg whites are what separate this from a plain fruit ice. They add a fluffy, almost meringue-like airiness that keeps the frozen dessert from turning into a solid block.

Use ripe, fragrant peaches at the peak of summer. The recipe relies entirely on the fruit for flavor, so bland, out-of-season peaches will give you bland ice.

Kitchen Tips

• Make the sugar syrup by dissolving the sugar in water over heat, then cool it completely before mixing with the peach puree. Hot syrup cooks the fruit and dulls the fresh flavor.
• Mash the peaches well but leave some small chunks for texture. Completely smooth puree freezes into a uniform block with no character.
• If using a modern ice cream maker, churn the base until slushy, fold in the beaten egg whites, then finish churning.

Variations

• Use cream and sugar instead of the syrup for a richer, more ice cream-like result.
• Add a tablespoon of lemon juice to the syrup to brighten the peach flavor and prevent browning.
• Try nectarines or white peaches for a slightly different flavor profile.