Roasted Peach & Jasmine Tea Ice Cream
Alright, so technically this is the third day of fall. With that being said, I’m just not ready for it!
Especially because here in Los Angeles we’ve been plummeting in and out of heat waves for the past month. I’ve been making lots of ice cream as a result, so I at least have something sweet to enjoy while I’m sweltering.
I’ve also gotten into a serious fruit-roasting kick— quite literally every fruit recipe I’ve made in the past few months has included something roasted. Berries and stone fruits in particular develop deeply robust and gorgeous flavors when roasted. I’ll almost always toss my fruit in a sprinkling of sugar, not necessarily for extra sweetness, only to enhance the caramelization process a bit.
Heat-waves and gas ovens aren’t a match made in heaven (trust me), but the great thing about pre-roasting fruit is that it can last in the refrigerator for several days while you cool down and decide what to do with it. There are a lot of avenues you could take, but I knew I wanted to fire up my beloved ice cream maker one last time before fall officially arrives (don’t worry, I’ll still be making ice cream year round).
I’ve also been really into floral flavors lately, which almost always pair notoriously well with fruit. I chose to use some beautiful ripe peaches and one of my favorite jasmine green teas for this particular batch of ice cream. The jasmine brings out the clandestine floral notes in the peaches, which are deeply concentrated from their quick stint in the oven. It’s a calm and gentle combination, and I think it encapsulates the much needed serenity that I’m trying to channel into this fall. I know I say it a lot, but this recipe really is your ice cream “oyster” if you will. Pick any fruit, any tea, and get creative!
Ingredients:
Ice Cream Custard:
1 ½ cups heavy cream
1 ½ cups whole or 2% milk*
½ cup sugar
3 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of Kosher salt
3 tablespoons loose-leaf jasmine green tea, or 3 sachets
Roasted Peach Purée:
2-3 ripe peaches
2 tablespoons brown sugar
The juice of half a lemon (about 1 tablespoon)
Pinch of Kosher salt
Instructions:
Prepping your machine and making your purée:
Freeze the bowl of your ice cream maker the day before you plan to make the ice cream.
Preheat your oven to 350°F.
Cut your peaches into 1” chunks.** You should end up with about 1 ½ cups of fruit once chopped. Toss the peaches with the brown sugar, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt. Pour them into a small baking dish and roast for 25-30 minutes.
Blend the roasted peach mixture into a smooth purée. Small pieces are totally fine, just try to break up the larger chunks of fruit!
Place the purée in a small, heat-resistant container and chill in the refrigerator. It will set and thicken up slightly as it cools.
Making the ice cream custard:
In a medium sized bowl, whisk the sugar and egg yolks together for about 60 seconds (until they become a slightly paler shade of yellow).
In a small to medium saucepan, combine the milk, heavy cream, and jasmine tea. Gently warm over medium-low heat, whisking occasionally until small bubbles start to form around the edges. Keep it over very low heat to avoid boiling. The process of heating the milk will allow the tea to steep.
Slowly stream ½ cup of the steamed milk into the sugar and egg yolk mixture. Working very quickly, whisk together until smooth to temper the eggs.
Slowly pour tempered egg mixture into the saucepan and whisk quickly to combine. Add the vanilla extract and a pinch of Kosher salt.
Increase the heat slightly to medium-low and cook the custard for 3 to 5 minutes until it reaches 170°F (be careful not to exceed 175°F). If you don’t have a thermometer, cook until the custard evenly coats the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and strain into a heat-resistant container to remove large tea leaves and any bits of cooked egg yolk. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature. Once cooled, cover it closely with plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator for at least 5 hours.
After the custard has chilled:
Whisk the chilled peach purée into the chilled custard and pour into your ice cream maker. Churn the mixture for 15-25 minutes***, or until it reaches a soft-serve-like consistency.
Transfer the churned ice cream into a sturdy container, cover, and let freeze for at least 6 hours before diving in.
Tips and Tricks:
* This recipe will absolutely work with 2% milk, but the end result will be slightly less creamy.
** Feel free to peel your peaches, I personally like the little flecks of color that the skins add to the finished product!
*** The churning time will depend on your ice cream maker, mine took about 18 minutes to reach the correct consistency (for this particular recipe).
