Go Back

18th Century Apricot Ice Cream

Print Recipe
Servings 1.25 quarts

Equipment

  • blender or food processor
  • 2 qt ice cream machine

Ingredients

  • 12 ripe apricots (about 2 ½ pounds)
  • 2 ½ cups heavy cream
  • ¾ cups white granulated sugar if using caster sugar, simply weigh the 6 oz.

Instructions

  • Set a large pot of water to boil. Take your apricots and score an X at the bottom of each one.
  • Prepare a large bowl with ice cubes and water.
  • When the water in the pot is boiling, carefully drop the apricots in the boiling water. Allow the water to come back up to a boil and leave the apricots in the boiling water for 60 seconds.
  • Remove the apricots from the boiling water and immediately transfer them to the ice bath to stop the cooking. When cool enough to handle, peel the apricots, cut them in half, remove the pit, and cut them into chunks.
  • Add the cream and sugar to a small pot. Set it over medium heat, stirring frequently, until bubbles begin to rise at the edges of the cream. If using a thermometer, at this point the milk should register 180°F.
  • Place the chopped apricots and the milk and sugar mixture in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. You may have to do this in batches, depending on the size of your appliance.
  • Set a fine mesh strainer over a large bowl and pour the mixture through it. With the back of a rubber spatula, push the mixture though the strainer, but do not scrape the pulp that accumulates on the outside of the strainer into the bowl.
  • Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Allow the mixture to cool down on the counter, then put it in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, or until it is no warmer than 40°F. If you are using an ice cream machine with a compressor, you may be able to skip the refrigeration part.
  • Churn the mixture according to your ice cream machine's instructions. Once fully churned, transfer the mixture to a freezer-safe container, or to silicone molds if you are feeling fancy.
  • Allow the ice cream to fully freeze, which can take several hours. Take it out of the freezer about 10 minutes before eating.