As usual, I followed the base ice cream recipe from Ben & Jerry’s (Ben & Jerry’s homemade ice cream and dessert book, Workman, 1987), with modifications. I love those recipes for their lack of fussiness: They’re more than just cream and sugar (the simplest ice cream, but also the shortest shelf life), but less work and richness than making an custard base. Use very ripe peaches. I prefer them peeled: bring a small pot of water to a boil, dip in the peaches for 20 to 30 seconds, remove and dunk in cold water. The skin should slip off in big strips; if not, dunk them again in boiling water for 10 to 20 seconds. The riper the peach, the easier it is to peel. For the eggs, I use pasteurized, because I can’t see the point in taking an unnecessary health risk for ice cream. I get dried lavender from a natural food store that sells it in bulk — just be sure it’s labeled for culinary uses.
2 to 3 cups chopped ripe, peeled peaches
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar, divided
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 cups heavy cream, divided
2 tablespoons dried lavender buds
2 large pasteurized eggs
1 cup milk (any — I use 1 percent)
Gently stir together the peaches, 1/2 cup sugar and lemon juice in a container with a cover. Cover and chill for to 1 1/2 hours. Drain peaches, saving the juice, and return peaches to the fridge.
Meanwhile, bring 1/2 cup cream barely to a simmer, and stir in lavender. Let stand 30 minutes, strain, and chill the cream until peaches are ready.
Using a hand mixer or whisk, beat the eggs in a large bowl until fluffy (1 minute on high speed). Slowly add the remaining 3/4 cup sugar, beating hard until mixture is very thick and fluffy. On low speed, beat in the milk, the 1/2 cup lavender-infused cream and the remaining 1 1/2 cups cream. Scrape the bottom of the bowl with a spatula, beat again briefly, then beat in peach juice.
Freeze according to your ice cream maker’s instructions. When ice cream appears done, add peaches and churn just until they are mixed in.
