Recipe: Peach Blackberry Crisp and Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

Remember the Fourth of July post that I wrote here?  I wanted to follow it up with the dessert recipe because it was just.that.good.  And kind of good for you in that I-am-eating-fruit-and-vitamins-even-if-they-are-coated-in-reduced-sugar-deliciousness kind of way.  In terms of desserts, this is a definitely a lesser sin.

All recipes below adapted from Mark Bittman's "How to Cook Everything" cookbook.  Love that man and love that book.  It has the basics on everything you have ever wanted to make, and more than you realized you did.  It is huge though and could also make an excellent doorstop.  Your choice.


Peach Blackberry Crisp

My rule of thumb for fruit dishes is that you should have about one cup of fruit per person you are serving.  Since we had three people, we did three cups.  Adjust accordingly for your party or if you want leftovers! Keep the topping the same as below. 

The filling
3 cups of cut up and peeled peach and blackberries
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 TBSP corn starch

The topping
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 TBSP cold butter plus more for greasing pan
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1/4 cup chopped nuts

Pre-heat oven to 400F.  Toss the fruit with half of the pumpkin pie spice, the lemon juice, 1/2 TBSP of brown sugar, and 1 TBSP of cornstarch.  Spread in a lightly buttered casserole dish (I used a 8 inch round pie dish because we weren't making much).
Combine all other ingredients, along with remaining pie spice and sugar in a food processor and pulse until everything is combined but coarse-like in texture.  Spread over the fruit and bake for 30 minutes.  It's great hot, warm, room temperature, and even straight out of the fridge (which I may or may not have experience with).

We served it warm with this:

Basic French Vanilla Ice Cream
  
I used my cuisinart ice cream maker to make the ice cream.  I adore my ice cream maker but seem to only really use it in the summer and I really should resolve to use it all year round.  It makes frozen yogurt too which would be the next thing I would try. 
 
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1.5 cup cream
1.5 cup whole milk
4 tablespoons maple syrup
3 egg yolks

Combine 1 cup of the cream and 1 cup of the whole milk in a saucepan with 2 tbsp maple syrup.  Heat, stirring occcasionally till steam rises but not to boiling.  Remove from heat.  In a smaller bowl, using a whisk, beat the other 2 tbsp maple syrup with the egg yolks until thickened, about three minutes.  Gradually add a 1/2 cup hot cream mixture to the egg yolks.  Then transfer that into the rest of the heated cream waiting in the saucepan (the idea is to gradually add the egg yolks to the warm cream so that you don't end up with scrambled egg ice cream - yuck!).  Cook over medium low heat stirring constantly until it is slightly thickened (how you can tell is if you can run your finger over the stirring spoon and the line stays clear).
Strain this custard into a bowl and add vanilla extract and the remaining milk and cream at this point.  Stir together and fridge it for a few hours then add to the ice cream maker when desired.  Eat right after, don't try to freeze - it is my humble opinion that homemade ice cream NEVER tastes the same as right out of the mixer. 

Bon Appetit,
Jessica