Got Overripe Peaches? Use Them To Make Martha Stewart's Favorite Childhood Treat

When peach season hits, this fruit becomes the queen of summer. When they are at their best, peaches are round and fuzzy, velvety crisp, juicy, and intensely sweet. But when they've moved from ripe to overly ripe, Martha Stewart says they are perfect for making peach ice cream. In a "Throwback Thursday" video, the domestic diva shared that peach ice cream is a favorite from her own childhood. Stewart revealed her family had a yellow peach tree in their backyard, and when the peaches became ripe, they would fill bowls with them to make this frozen treat.

The television personality explained that overripe peaches, especially those that are slightly blemished, are a gift, because as they soften up and mature, the acidity decreases and the sugar content increases. Their fruity sweetness is perfect for flavoring ice cream while adding a nice texture. To ensure they are tender, Stewart recommends chopping and macerating them — skins and all — before adding your other ingredients. Maceration will further soften up the fruit and draw out the juices, making them sweeter and giving them a syrupy consistency. 

To create the right consistency for ice cream, Stewart breaks out an essential kitchen tool to give the macerated peaches a meaty puree-like texture: a potato masher. Once mashed into a thick sauce, she mixes it with eggs, milk, and heavy cream to make a custard-like treat.

Martha Stewart uses an ice cream machine to make her peach ice cream. However, there are easy ways to make it without an ice cream machine. Simply place your ice cream ingredients in a bowl and then place that bowl in another container filled with ice. Take a hand mixer and start mixing. It will take about 10 minutes to get it looking creamy and smooth before you place it in the freezer to firm up. Stewart recommends placing the finished product into a shallow Pyrex or stainless steel dish before popping it in the freezer to firm up. She notes that this helps to produce the perfect scoop. 

However, ice cream isn't the only thing you can make with overripe peaches. If you want to sweeten up a smoothie and keep it healthy, peaches can do just that. You can dress up French toast, pancakes, or waffles with a drizzle of peach syrup or peach jam. Overripe fruit can also make delicious desserts like old-fashioned peach cobbler, peach pie, and peach crisp.