REAL Ice Cream!

I have the best boyfriend in the world. He just treats me waaaaay to good, I don't know how I ended up with a catch like him. He kept telling me that he was going to get me a surprise, something I had been talking about wanting. My curiosity was killing me- I love surprises, when it's actually a surprise. But when I know in advance about it, I hate waiting for it to be unveiled. Matt took me to the mall a few days ago, and was looking for pants, so I wandered off to look at girl stuff. When he came upstairs to find me, he was carrying
a Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker in his arms. For me! What more could a girl want??!

So now our ice cream making is going to get out of control. We can make sorbets, frozen yogurt, gelato, just about anything we want. And it will be real. No more sweetened condensed milk! I love making food with him, we both get so excited and always work out some amazing collaboration of our two different cooking styles. With all the fresh fruit that's in season right now, I don't really see any end in sight to our ice cream obsession.

Yesterday we went out to Sauvie Island to go swimming on the river and cool off, because this summer heat is just too much for either of us. It's great and all, but we both keep lamenting the fact that it isn't rainy and foggy, and we just can't wait for fall. I know I'll miss this when it's gone, but right now I would kill for a cold, cozy day and some soup making.

Sauvie Island is breathtaking. I hope to live out there someday, it is the most picturesque, almost magical place that I know, and it's only 10 minutes outside Portland. The stunning farms, green grass, incredibly beautiful trees, and farm stands are almost too much. You can go out to Kruger Farm and pick your own berries, or just wander into their barn and have an entire produce section to choose from. We were both craving peaches, and the ones at Kruger Farm just smelled beautiful and ripe. We grabbed a bunch, along with some nectarines, plums, pluots, and local wildflower honey.

The drive back to Portland was heavenly. Our sunburned skin soaked in the cool breeze that came in as we drove along the river with the windows down, the sweet, sticky perfection of the peaches made our tastebuds jump, and the sound of The Beatles was the perfect soundtrack to the summer day. We made that day our bitch. It was the quintessential summer day.

We were both so excited to make peach honey ice cream, but then I though, why not make it a sorbet? I haven't made sorbet yet, and dairy and I don't really jive all that well together, so sorbet is perfect. Cool and refreshing, fruity and sweet. We used honey as a lot of our sweetener, instead of all sugar, and used it in our simple syrup. It turned out great! The taste of honey is very noticeable, and the essence of peach is fantastic.

Peach Honey Sorbet

• 5 large peaches
• 1 1/2 C sugar
• 1/2 C honey
• 2 cups water
• 1 lemon

Bring a large pot of water to a boil (This is for blanching the peaches to get the skin off)

Meanqhile, combine water, honey, and sugar in a small pot and heat until the sugar and honey dissolve.

Score the skin of the peaches, and add to large pot once it's boiling. They will only need to sit for a few seconds before the skin is ready to peel right off.

Once peeled, cut into chunks, and add to the simple syrup, and lemon juice.

Use an immersion blender to mix until smooth. (If you don't have one, you can combine all in a blender until smooth.)

Strain peach mixture, so there are no chunks, and put in the fridge to cool for a couple hours.

Once cooled, add to the bowl of your ice cream machine (which needs to be frozen) and churn for about 15-20 minutes.

Voila! To freeze, put in a plastic container, smooth the top and cover with a layer of saran wrap or parchment paper. The sorbet will get harder as it freezes.