Goat Cheese Ice Cream with Roasted Peaches and Rosemary

Do you have access to an ice cream maker and goat cheese? If the answer is yes, then please make this immediately and continuously until Labor Day...and probably for the rest of the year...and maybe for the rest of your life. The basic recipe for goat cheese ice cream from Food52 is below, and here are seven variations on flavors and mix-ins, one of which I adapted to make tonight’s dessert. I feel like this is only the tip of the frozen hircine dessert iceberg. Take a moment to conjure a mental image for that phrase. You're welcome. 

After waiting three days for my peaches to ripen, they're sliced, pitted, and liberally covered in rosemary sugar in preparation for some glorious roasting.

Everything is better with butter, yes? Yes. The peaches are cooked with melted butter in a cast iron skillet, then transferred to the oven to roast and get really, really pretty and aromatic.

After roasting, I scooped the peaches into a ceramic bowl and cut them into bite-sized pieces. So as to not waste any sugary, buttery, peachy flavor, I poured the extra liquid remaining in the pan over the peach chunks and set the bowl aside to cool while I made the ice cream.

Earlier in the day, I'd prepared the ice cream batter, and it had been chilling in the fridge for quite a few hours before I poured into the ice cream maker. After that, it only took 20 minutes to mix and set up. 

The last (and most fun) order of business was mixing the peaches into the soft, new ice cream. I alternated between layers of fruit and ice cream until both were gone, then gently mixed it all together. It's sitting in the freezer right now hardening to normal ice-cream consistency. I'm waiting with bated breathe to try some as a type this sentence...

Goat Cheese Ice Cream

From Food52

Makes 1 quart

Ingredients

2 cups heavy cream

1 cup milk

1/3 cup honey

¼ teaspoon salt

4 egg yolks

½ cup (4 ounces) fresh goat cheese,

Directions

Heat cream, milk, honey, and salt in a saucepan until just simmering. Meanwhile, in a light bowl, lightly whisk the egg yolks.

Once milk mixture is simmering, slowly pour it into the yolks, while whisking constantly.

Add the egg and cream mixture back into the saucepan and cook on low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon, about 5 to 7 minutes, then remove from the heat.

Crumble the goat cheese into a large bowl and then strain the warm custard through a fine mesh strainer onto the goat cheese and whisk until fully incorporated and smooth.

Cover and cool in the fridge until thoroughly chilled, at least 2 hours or overnight.

Freeze the mixture in an ice cream maker.

Once it is frozen, transfer dollops of ice cream into a one-quart container. If using add-ins (like peaches roasted with rosemary –recipe below, or something equally awesome – possible options here), stir those in now, adding tablespoons of the variegate as you go so that ice cream and add-in are layered together.

Run a butter knife through the mixture in a swirling motion two to three times to gently swirl the ice cream and variegate.

Seal the container and let the ice cream set in the freezer for at least 4 hours before serving.

The ice cream will keep for a week in the freezer.

Roasted Peaches with Rosemary

Adapted from Food52

Ingredients

¾ cup raw sugar

3 Tbsp chopped rosemary leaves

4 firm, ripe peaches, pitted and halved (peeling is optional)

Kosher salt

4 Tbsp unsalted butter

Directions

Preheat oven to 425° F

In a food processor, combine raw sugar and chopped rosemary (make sure the rosemary is completely dry if you've just rinsed it). Process for about 30 seconds, or until well integrated. (You won't need the full amount of rosemary sugar for one recipe, but it keeps well tightly covered, and it can be used in tea, on fruit, &c)

Liberally sprinkle cut sides of halved peaches with the rosemary sugar, and follow with a pinch of salt.

Melt butter in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.

Arrange the peaches in the skillet, cut side-down.

Cook for 3 to 5 minutes without disturbing, until the cut sides begin to brown. (Note: The peaches will throw off juice while they’re browning, but it will eventually thicken in the oven.)

Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast for about 10 minutes.

Flip the peaches, drizzle/baste with butter and juice from the pan, and continue roasting another 5 to 10 minutes, or until tender. (The total cooking time will depend on the size and ripeness of your peaches.)