What would you serve with Peach Ice Cream?

[RebeccaT]

FIL's birthday is this weekend, and we are doing a cookout at our house tomorrow night and an Astros game on Saturday. FIL requested a repeat of the peach ice cream I made for Father's Day. At that time I made almond meringue bowls, and served scoops of the peach ice cream on top with a raspberry sauce. It was delicious! But perhaps a bit fussy for a cookout. So...

- Should I serve the meringues anyway, with the sauce, and not worry about it not "matching" my meal?

- Should I serve the peach ice cream (with the raspberry sauce?) in bowls, with a cookie of some sort on the side?

- Should I do something completely different with peach ice cream?

Thoughts and recipes appreciated!

[Delanl]

Or how about a scoop of peach ice cream over a slice of pound cake or angel food cake?

[RebeccaT]

Hmm... bourbon pecan sauce and pralines. I am a bit reluctant to do that, because my brother and sis-in-law are coming from Baton Rouge, and I am pretty sure that they can get the best of that kind of thing there! Good thought, though... do you think that the bourbon sauce would overwhelm the peach ice cream?

Delanl, the angel food cake is a good idea, too. I might have to consider that. If I'm feeling ambitious, maybe I'll make one from scratch...

I should also add that there will be two kiddos in attendance, ages 9 and 3.5. So something they would find yummy as well would be good, that's why I thought cookies might be good.

[Terrytx]

I still like the raspberry sauce (though that pecan sauce sure sounds tasty). That's just what I like though-peaches and raspberries. You could always serve them on a piece of cake.

[RebeccaT]

For some reason, I am stuck on cookies. What do you think of these to go with the ice cream? Anyone made them? They're from BA March 2003.

ALMOND CRUNCH COOKIES

For soft and chewy cookies, bake these just a couple of minutes less than the recipe directs.

3 cups slivered almonds, toasted
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
3 large egg whites

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons amaretto liqueur
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line heavy large baking sheet with parchment paper. Place 1 1/2 cups almonds in large bowl and sift 1/2 cup powdered sugar over; toss to coat. Whisk 1 egg white to blend in small bowl. Add 1 tablespoon egg white to nuts and toss to blend. Spread mixture in even layer over prepared baking sheet. Bake until almonds are golden and coating is dry, about 10 minutes. Cool completely.

Transfer candied almonds to processor. Using on/off turns, process until almost all almonds are coarsely chopped and some fine crumbs form. Transfer chopped candied almonds to small bowl.

Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Finely chop remaining 1 1/2 cups slivered almonds in processor. Add flour, baking soda, and salt. Blend until nuts are very finely ground.

Using electric mixer, beat butter, 3/4 cup sugar, and remaining 3/4 cup powdered sugar in large bowl until well blended. Add remaining 2 egg whites, amaretto, and vanilla. Beat until well blended. Gradually mix in flour-almond mixture. Stir in chopped candied almonds.

Working in 2 batches and using small ice cream scoop or tablespoon, spoon 2 level tablespoonfuls dough in mound for each cookie, forming about 12 mounds on each sheet and spacing 2 inches apart. Bake until cookies are golden brown, about 14 minutes. Cool slightly on baking sheets. Transfer cookies to rack and cool completely. (Can be made 3 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.)

Makes about 4 dozen.


Bon Appétit
March 2003

[gertdog]

I think I would serve cookies, too.

Two flavor combos that come to mind:

Oatmeal and ginger- a good oatmeal cookie with spices of your choice and some minced candied ginger.

Pecan shortbread- peaches and pecans are really good together (they should be, since they're both southern!) Anna (claire797) posted an excellent recipe for pecan sables- they are like homemade pecan sandies.

Off to look for your peach ice cream recipe... :)

[RebeccaT]

Oooh, Stephanie, those look wonderful! And I think that they would be great with the ice cream, and that the kiddos would like them too!

Do you have The Ultimate Ice Cream Book? Because that's where my recipe is from. I was thinking about trying the Simple Peach ICe Cream from this month's CL, but I think I'll go with this tried and true. I posted about it in the June ice cream thread:

I made the Peach Ice Cream from The Ultimate Ice Cream Book this weekend. It was a lighter ice cream, since it used milk instead of half-and-half with the whipping cream. It turned out delicious! I did use one tip from the Ben and Jerry's Cookbook, and I macerated finely chopped peaches in lemon juice and sugar to add in at the very end. So it was sort of a 1-2 peach punch; the pureed peaches and peach nectar in the ice cream base, and the chopped peaches added at the end.

[Buechner]

What about some molasses/gingersnap cookies? I love the combination of peach and ginger together...or even some gingerbread.

Jenny

[Jessica]

Originally posted by Buechner
What about some molasses/gingersnap cookies? I love the combination of peach and ginger together...or even some gingerbread.

Jenny

I second that. I was thinking crisp gingersnaps.

[RebeccaT]

Hmmm... I love the idea of gingersnaps, but DH doesn't really like gingery cookies... any really good recipes that even he would like?

[CompassRose]

How about crumbled almond nut brittle?

Or, since it's a cookout, make giant oatmeal cookies (with almonds?), and serve Peach Ice Cream Sandwiches. Or make the meringues as disks, and do sandwiches (q.v. recent CL article).

[Gail K.]

How about going completely peachy and serving it over peach cobbler?
Yum!

[Beth]

I like the cookie idea, and I think almond our pecan would be great. I made a brown sugar cookie once that would be good with that too (they have a pecan in the middle). I can look for that recipe tomorrow. I'm already in getting ready to take the kids over to my moms and meet Doug so we can go to tonight's Astros game (but it's the Braves' game to him).

You could make some pizzelle bowls or cookies too -- I think thosse would be great with almost any ice cream.

I like gingersnaps, but that sounds too much like fall for 100 degree weather for me.

[MusicMom]

I vote for the almond cookies- I love peach and almond together.

[gertdog]

Originally posted by CompassRose

Or, since it's a cookout, make giant oatmeal cookies (with almonds?), and serve Peach Ice Cream Sandwiches. Or make the meringues as disks, and do sandwiches (q.v. recent CL article).

I think that's a great idea! The Cook's Illustrated oatmeal cookies would be perfect for this. You could make the sandwiches, then roll the edges in chopped almonds. Mmmm. I've done this with CI's chocolate chip cookies and vanilla ice cream. If I remember correctly, I made them for a summer dinner party of 12 people, and I made one per guest plus 4 or 5 extra. They were all gone at the end of the evening.

[wallycat]

I like my ice cream simple...no dough, no bread, no cookies, nothing but what was intended for the ice-cream. Put what you wish on the side and I'll surely help myself, but my ice-cream...NAKED!!

[knunes]

My first thought was some kind of cookie.....
second thought was how about making some sort of cookie crumb crust and putting the ice cream in and refreezing for an ice cream pie?
but then I saw the ice cream sandwich idea and liked that too......let us know what you decide to do!

[mbrogier]

Another vote for NAKED. ...or Waffle cones!

[dlaboriel]

We recently had dinner at a friend's house. She served fresh peach ice cream with peach pound cake. Soo good.

[RebeccaT]

Originally posted by CompassRose
How about crumbled almond nut brittle?

Or, since it's a cookout, make giant oatmeal cookies (with almonds?), and serve Peach Ice Cream Sandwiches. Or make the meringues as disks, and do sandwiches (q.v. recent CL article).

Oh, I wish I had seen this before I left for the day! I love this idea! Darn darn darn...

Oh well. I ended up making the Pecan Sables that were originally posted by Anna (claire797) and that Stephanie recommended. I should make everything you recommend, Stephanie. You have never, ever steered me wrong. :D These are great! I did get a little over-ambitious with the egg white, which made the tops of some of my cookies get kinda carmel-colored. I think next time I'll do more of a normal egg wash, since the egg white made them a little too shiny IMO. But the flavor is great, and I think they will be fabulous with the peach ice cream (on the SIDE, Ana, no worries about adulturating the ice cream!) I have also decided just to sprinkle fresh raspberries on top for those that want it and not worry about a sauce.

Thanks to EVERYONE for the great ideas! :D

Oh, and here's the recipe:

PECAN SABLES


This recipe is among those that reach a new level when made with sea salt and high-quality, European-style butter (like Plugrá).
Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 2 hr

3/4 cup pecans (3 oz), toasted and cooled, plus about 32 pecan halves (3 oz)
2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons confectioners sugar
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 large egg, separated

Special equipment: a 2-inch round cookie cutter

Preheat oven to 325°F.

Pulse toasted pecans with 2 tablespoons confectioners sugar in a food processor until finely ground. Whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder in a bowl.

Beat together butter, remaining 2/3 cup confectioners sugar, and vanilla in a bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg yolk and beat well. Add flour and ground-pecan mixture and mix at low speed until just combined, 30 seconds to 1 minute. (Dough will be crumbly but will hold together when squeezed.)

Halve dough and roll out 1 half between 2 sheets of wax paper until 1/4 inch thick (about a 9-inch round). Cut out as many rounds as possible with cookie cutter and arrange about 2 inches apart on buttered large baking sheets, reserving scraps. Roll out and cut remaining dough in same manner. Gather scraps, then reroll and cut in same manner.

Beat egg white until frothy, then brush tops of rounds lightly with egg white. Put a pecan half on top of each round, then brush pecan lightly with egg white.

Bake cookies in middle of oven until tops are pale golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool cookies on sheets on racks 2 minutes, then transfer to racks to cool completely.

Cooks' note:
• Cookies keep in an airtight container 1 week.

Makes about 32 cookies.


Gourmet
November 2002


(My notes - I didn't roll these out; instead, I rolled them into balls and flattened them with the bottom of a juice glass. They turned out a little bit bigger than the recipe suggested, about 2.5 inches, and as a result I only got 25 cookies. But they looked great, and this method was a LOT easier than rolling them out! I used European style butter, but regular salt; I'm not sure that the butter really mattered.)

[gertdog]

Originally posted by RebeccaT

I ended up making the Pecan Sables that were originally posted by Anna (claire797) and that Stephanie recommended. I should make everything you recommend, Stephanie. You have never, ever steered me wrong. :D These are great!


What a nice thing to say! :) I'm glad you like the way the sables turned out. I think I have skipped the egg wash altogether on occasion and you end up with a very pale cookie that's just as tasty.

I don't have the Ultimate Ice Cream Book, but I did find a recipe online for "Peach Ice Cream, Philly-Style" from the book- is this the one you used?

Have fun at the cookout!

[RebeccaT]

Nope, I used the custard style. Let me see if I can remember it...


Peach Ice Cream
from The Ultimate Ice Cream Book, with some additions based on The Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream Cookbook

1.5 lbs peaches, pitted, peeled and cut into eighths
1/4 cup peach nectar
1/4 tsp salt
juice of half a lemon

1 cup milk
2 eggs
2/3 cup sugar
2 Tbs. flour

1 cup heavy cream
[1/2 tsp vanilla]

[2 peaches, peeled and diced]
[~1/4 cup sugar]
[juice of half a lemon]

Puree sliced peaches with nectar, salt, and lemon juice in food process until smooth. Set aside

Beat eggs and sugar together until fluffy and light colored. Add flour, and beat well. Heat milk to a simmer, and slowly add to egg mixture. Pour entire mixture back into pot, and heat over low heat until slightly thickened. Pour hot custard through a fine mesh sieve into a large bowl, allow to cool for a bit. Stir in peach puree, cream, and vanilla. Cover and chill in fridge overnight or until cold.

Combine diced peaches, sugar (adjusting amount for how sweet your peaches are), and lemon juice in a small bowl. Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes.

Freeze smooth peach mixture according to ice cream freezer directions. Add diced peach mixture during final 5 minutes of freezing time. Ice cream will be ready to serve but soft; for firmer ice cream transfer to freezer-safe container and freeze for a couple of hours.

[i]Will someone please explain to me how I can remember a recipe word for word, but I can't remember my DH's new work number after two weeks? :o

[gertdog]

Thanks Rebecca!! My ice cream maker has been very lonely this year, but peaches are in the local farmer's markets so I will have to give this a try.

Don't worry. My husband has had the same work number for two YEARS now and I still can't recite it. :p

[Peggy]

I am having company for dinner tonight and have made the Fresh Peach Ice Cream from the August issue. I also made the Macademia-Ginger Cookies from the same issue to serve on the side.

Peggy

[mbrogier]

After having a stroke, I can tell you for a fact that the brain stores telephone numbers and recipes in two separate places. :D I still can't remember my cell phone number, and I've had it for over 6 months...but I have about 30 recipes that I can recall verbatim. :rolleyes: :p

The pecan sandies and peach ice cream recipe looks really good. I wish I had an ice cream maker. (I would need a bigger freezer.)