Last updated on April 8th, 2019

Now that we’ve moved into our new digs, there are nights when we just have to drive 25 minutes and have to wait another 25 minutes in line @ our favorite ice cream joint just to get a scoop of whoknowswhat. The menu changes each time we go, but it always, ALWAYS hits the spot. One reason my husband and I are together is because he also finds it totally normal that when the sign says, “please limit yourself to 2-3 tastings each,” we both pick our favorite three and share. Why would you want a full taste of three unique flavors when you could have SIX half-tastes? The same principle applies whenever we eat out.

Beyond the brilliant why-didn’t-I-think-of-that menu options, the reason Ici has become our go-to spot is because somehow someway they figured out how to make ice cream melt in your mouth with each smooth bite, without being way too heavy on the cream that you then leave feeling bloated. That time Lucas accidentally ordered two gigantic scoops didn’t leave us with an uggghhh-dairy-hates-me stomach ache. I never regret a scoop.

Thanks to our thoughtful friends Charles & Meredith, we now have our own ice cream maker and can experiment with whimsical flavors whenever we like! This warm summer I’ve oft found myself quoting my favorite band from my cassette tape years: “If I had my little way, I’d eat peaches every day.” (My older brother can go on record to verify that I pretty much only listened to Peaches and Kitty on repeat for a good year of my life). The Presidents of the United States of America didn’t even consider what it’d be like to eat peach ICE CREAM every day. That’s what I’d do if I had my little way. So I set about to make that happen. Ginger peach sherbet, to be precise.

Saturday morning we woke up craving ice cream. Yup, you heard that right. We have really healthy cravings at totally normal times. We pulled down the ice cream maker attachment box from the cabinet and Lucas began reading the directions while I dreamed up flavors. Another reason we’re married: he LOVES reading directions while I would rather do basically anything else. So I planned my recipe and he put the attachment bowl in the ice box, “it has to be in the freezer for at least 15 minutes,” he explained.

Yup, got it….wait what? Without wanting to accuse him of lying, but not believing this machine contained magic beans that froze in flash speed, I strolled over to the manual and casually glanced down. Now, normally Lucas doesn’t miss a single detail of instructions – it’s the reason it takes him twice as long to make dinner when following a recipe – but somehow he wishfully turned 15 hours into minutes. Goodluck making ice cream with a par-frozen bowl;) Since we didn’t really get started until after 5pm, this meant we couldn’t eat our ice cream until the next day. We’ve now decided that we’ll store the bowl in the freezer full-time so we’ll never have to wait 15 hours after the mood strikes us. I mean, at that rate, we might as well walk the 8 miles to Ici.

I chose sherbet as my first attempt to make “ice cream” because my slightly lactose intolerant tummy loved the idea of using milk instead of heavy cream as the base. As a child I remember always mixing up rainbow “sherbet” with “Shubert’s” Ice Cream – the local ice cream and candy shop my Dad used to take me to on date night as a wee one. And then there’s sorbet…how is one ever supposed to keep them all separate?

Enough about grammar, this sherbet takes some of the season’s juiciest fruit and compliments its sweet nectar with bits of spicy candied ginger and chunks of fresh fruit. It’s light and refreshing with the perfect balance between icy, smooth, and creamy. The only unfortunate part about the whole affair is when our freezer defrosted today and melted our last two scoops into a mushy soup. Guess what we’ll be doing again on Sunday? Come over to our house this summer and there’s bound to be homemade ice cream or sherbet in our freezer (as long as the freezer quits being a punk).

While you wait 15 hours for your KitchenAid ice cream maker attachment bowl to freeze, here’s a collection of our second engagement shoot photos and a preview of our wedding photos from our talented photographer, Brent Van Auken.

Candied ginger peach sherbet

Yield: Makes about 2 quarts

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Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 3 cups whole milk
• ¼ cup light corn syrup
• 3 large ripe peaches, peeled and coarsely chopped (about 3 cups)
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 large ripe peach, chopped into ½-inch cubes (for mixing in later)
• 1/3 cup candied ginger, chopped into tiny pieces

Instructions

1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, mix together the sugar, milk, and light corn syrup. Heat, stirring often, until right before it boils (but not boiling). Remove from heat.
2. Combine the 3 cups of chopped peaches and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice into a food processor until smooth.
3. Add the peach mixture to the milk mixture and stir to combine.
4. Cover with plastic wrap and chill thoroughly in the refrigerator, about 8 hours.
5. Follow the directions on your ice cream maker to mix the batter into ice cream, until the desired consistency. Fold in the chopped peaches and candied ginger when it's done churning.
6. Freeze for another 2 -4 hours while the ice cream hardens and ripens.
7. Scoop and serve!