It's peach season in our area! It's also incredibly hot! So, now is the time to make a traditional family favorite--peach sherbet. The sherbet is made with buttermilk, which provides a tang to the sherbet and prevents the sherbet from being too sweet and too heavy for hot days. The sherbet starts with making a jam-like puree, and you can use frozen peaches for the puree, if you'd like to save your fresh peaches to eat with the sherbet. The puree helps infuse the sherbet with sweet peach flavor and also keeps the sherbet from getting too "icy." Making the sherbet involves only a few simple steps--none difficult--and some chilling time, so plan ahead. The final product--velvety smooth buttermilk sherbet with a soft, sweet peach flavor--is worth the time. I suggest serving the sherbet topped with additional fresh sliced peaches and the leftover peach puree. If you really want a fancy dessert, put the sherbet, peaches, and puree in clear bowls or glasses, drizzle on a couple of teaspoons of peach or orange liqueur and sprinkle on some chopped toasted nuts--pistachios or almonds go well with the peaches. Enjoy!
Peach Buttermilk Sherbet -- Serves 6
Peach Puree
16 ounces (about 4 cups) of peaches (yes, you can use frozen)
3/4 cup of sugar
1-2 tablespoon of lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
Combine all the ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring them to a boil over medium heat, stirring them periodically. Reduce the heat to a simmer, and continuing to stir the peach mixture periodically, let it cook until the peaches break down and the mixture becomes thick and jam-like in consistency. Let the puree cool to room temperature and then refrigerate it for at least a couple of hours.
Base
1 14-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup of light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon of salt
3 tablespoons of lemon juice
1 cup of milk
1 1/2 cups of buttermilk (low-fat is fine)
Whisk the sweetened condensed milk, corn syrup, salt, and lemon juice together until well blended. Whisk in the milk and buttermilk and refrigerate the mixture for at least two hours. When you're ready to make the sherbet, pour the base into your ice cream maker and let it churn according to the manufacturer's directions. When the sherbet is almost, but not quite ready, pour in 1 cup of the peach puree (about half) and let the mixture continue to churn until it's ready. Remove the sherbet from the ice cream maker, put in in a plastic tub or container, and put it in the freezer for at least an hour to continue freezing. If you've left the sherbet to freeze overnight, leave it on the counter for at least 5 minutes (or in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes) before scooping it. Serve the sherbet topped with fresh peaches, the extra peach puree, peach or orange liqueur, and toasted nuts. Or serve the sherbet "as is" and save the extra puree for breads, waffles, or muffins.
