Remember when we had those gorgeous nectarines a while back? And remember how it was National Ice Cream Day on Sunday? No? Well, anyway, both of those things happened, and made this delicious masterpiece:
Behold, nectarine ice cream! To be honest, it tasted more like frozen yogurt, but it was delicious and terribly easy to make. I didn’t make it in the traditional way you make ice cream, but using a quicker, simpler technique that produces a result so good it shouldn’t even be legal. Look at how rich and smooth it is…
To make this ice cream, freeze about 5 or 6 nectarines with the skin still on. (This is also nice because you can make the ice cream long after the other nectarines have gone bad sitting on the counter) Once the nectarines are completely frozen, remove them from the freezer and peel them by running them under lukewarm water and sliding the skin off. If they’re truly frozen, the skin should slide right off. After peeling the nectarines, cut them into medium-sized chunks, discarding the pits. Beware, though, the frozen nectarines are super cold and difficult to hold while you’re cutting them, so take frequent breaks and warm your hands by dipping them in a bowl of warm water or under the tap if you’d like. As you cut them, transfer the pieces to a food processor. If they have substantially defrosted, you might want to put them back into the freezer until they are more solid.
Next, pulse the nectarines in the food processor while adding a half pint of cream and sugar to taste. I used about 3/4 cup of sugar, but more or less can be used depending on what you like. They should be added slowly, and the food processor should be checked every so often to make sure that it’s not clogged with frozen nectarines. Once they look like a sludgy paste, put the mixture into the freezer; you’re done.
Really, that’s it. No churning or cranking. No fancy ice cream maker or salts are necessary. Most importantly, I didn’t use ice at any point during the process, which is a huge plus for someone whose machine occasionally makes ice streaked with rusty water…
Anyway, happy nectarine season! Enjoy your summer treat!