Ah, summer, the season of beach trips, road trips, barbecues, and iced tea by the poolside, and also the season of fresh peaches, watermelons, figs, and all kinds of berries.  But most importantly, it’s the season when ice cream cravings are at their peak, when childhood dreams are replenished by cones of cold, creamy wonder as we indulge in our favorite flavors and toppings.  There’s nothing sweeter than running to the store at 10 pm to grab a pint of mint chocolate chip, or licking melted cookies ‘n cream off the side of your hand as you finish the last bites of your waffle cone on a hot day.

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Nor is there any pleasure in the world greater than peering into the frosty bowl of an ice cream machine and watching the magnificence of your homemade ice cream base being churned into a thick, luscious, white velvet that just begs to melt in your mouth.

I’ve been playing around with a new ice cream maker I bought a few weeks back (so expect to see more ice cream recipes coming soon on this blog!), and I thought of making a vanilla ice cream with swirls of caramelized balsamic peaches mixed throughout.  I adapted a great recipe by Alton Brown for my vanilla ice cream base, substituting sugar with honey, which I predicted would let my ice cream freeze with a softer texture and hint of honey flavor.
Although I had some doubts about my choice of ingredients, especially when my brown sugar-balsamic vinegar sauce started to burn ever so slightly, the finished product was quite beyond what I had expected.  The obvious contrast between the flavors somehow blended them together even more perfectly- my caramelized balsamic peaches were dark, deep, tangy, and slightly exotic and rested beautifully in the vanilla ice cream’s sweet, rich, classic taste.  It was like gazing at a stunning portrait of a husky, 50-year-old hipster cowboy lying in a pile of fluffy pastel-colored stuffed bunnies and kitties, or like listening to a flawless duet between a spunky punk rock star and a posh French soprano singer.

Maybe I’m exaggerating, but my point is, this ice cream is quite delicious.  Give it a try if you’re melting in the summer heat and are looking for a sweet treat that will melt along with you (in your mouth).  

Oh and by the way, the pictures above make it look like there are cookie chunks or chocolate fudge involved, but that’s just the dark color of balsamic vinegar seeping into the peaches, which only intensifies when you boil it down into a syrup.

Vanilla Ice Cream with Caramelized Balsamic Peach Swirl     –     yields approximately 1.5 quarts

Peach Swirl:
– 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
– 1/2 cup brown sugar
– 1/2 tsp. lemon zest
– 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
– 2 peaches, diced
– pinch salt
Vanilla Ice Cream (adapted from Food Network; Alton Brown):
– 4 cups half & half
– 7 egg yolks
– 3/4 cup honey
– 2 tsp. vanilla extract

To make the caramelized balsamic peach swirl:
1.     In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the balsamic vinegar and brown sugar.  Bring it to a boil while stirring constantly.
2.     Reduce the heat to low, and simmer the mixture until it is caramelized and thickened.  The bubbles on the surface will begin to pop at a slower rate and have a caramel-colored shine.  Be sure to continue stirring so that it does not burn.
3.     Immediately add in the lemon zest, ground cinnamon, diced peaches, and salt and continue to cook and stir until the peaches have softened.
4.     Turn off the heat.  Set it aside to cool completely, then transfer it to a bowl and refrigerate while you prepare the ice Cream base.
To make the vanilla ice cream:
1.     Heat the half & half in a clean saucepan just until it starts to simmer, then quickly remove it from the heat.
2.     In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and honey.  Stir in the hot half & half about 1/4 cup at a time, to prevent the egg yolks from scrambling.  Once all of the half & half has been incorporated, transfer the whole mixture back into the saucepan.
3.     Cook it slowly over medium-low heat, whisking vigorously the entire time, until it has thickened and coats the back of a spoon.  Turn off the heat and mix in the vanilla extract.
4.     Allow the ice cream base to cool slightly, then pour it through a fine mesh sieve, spoonfuls at a time, to remove any lumps that may have formed during cooking.
5.     Let it cool completely, then cover and refrigerate it until cold, at least 1 hour.
6.     Churn the ice cream base in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions.  Transfer the ice cream into a container for storage, then roughly fold in the balsamic peach mixture.  Don’t blend it into the ice cream completely; you want to maintain gorgeous, visible streaks of peach throughout.  Serve the ice cream immediately to enjoy its current soft-serve texture, or store it in the freezer.