Creme Fraiche Ice Cream with Peaches & Blueberries

What is Creme Fraiche? Creme Fraiche is a soured cream, and although that might not sound appetizing, it is some good stuff. I was introduced to creme fraiche by my mother, who actually has made homemade creme fraiche. To make 1 1/2 cups of your own, you can combine 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream and 1 1/2 tablespoons of buttermilk in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Then heat to warm but don't let it simmer. Remove from the heat, cover with a lid, and let it sit at room temperature until it thickens (at least 8 hours but no longer than 24 hours). I don't like to buy buttermilk because it always goes to waste when I just need a little bit of it, so I bought a container of creme fraiche. You can find it at grocery stores such as Wegmans and Whole Foods Market. The Vermont Creamery brand is good!

This ice cream is fantastic. It resembles the flavor of Udderly Cream ice cream sold at Maggie Moo's, which is my favorite flavor. Greg said that the ice cream tasted lighter than other ice creams that I have made, and he said it tasted perfect. I don't really know if it tastes lighter, but I am glad he likes it so much. The creme fraiche ice cream pairs really nicely with ripe sweet peaches and fresh blueberries, which are both in season right now (so they are cheaper than usual at grocery stores)!

Creme fraiche ice cream with peaches and blueberries is my second ice cream posting this July to celebrate National Ice Cream month. Will I post another one before the end of the month? I don't know, maybe! Did you buy your automatic ice cream maker yet?

Recipe for Creme Fraiche Ice Cream with Peaches and Blueberries 

INGREDIENTS:
5 ounces of whole milk
3 ounces of heavy whipping cream
8 ounces of creme fraiche (chilled)
1/3 cup plus 2 Tbsp. of granulated sugar
A pinch of salt
3/4 tsp. of pure vanilla extract (I used Nielson-Massey Madagascar Bourbon vanilla extract)
For topping
1 - 2 peaches, chopped small
40 - 50 fresh blueberries

DIRECTIONS: 
Put the milk, heavy whipping cream, and sugar into a large bowl. Use a wire whisk to beat the ingredients together until they are well combined. Add in the creme fraiche and whisk again until it is fully incorporated and the mixture is smooth. Add in the salt and vanilla extract and stir. Cover the bowl with a lid and put it into the fridge for about an hour.

Remove from fridge. Stir the mixture if needed and then pour it into an automatic ice cream maker. Make according to ice cream maker manufacturer directions. Transfer to an airtight container and store in the freezer for about an hour before serving. Scoop out into individual serving bowls and top each with chopped peaches and blueberries.

*I found that the creme fraiche mixture turns into ice cream faster than other mixtures. Most take 20 - 25 minutes in the ice cream maker, but this one only took about 15 minutes (at least on my ice cream maker).

Recipe serves about 6.

Homemade Creme Fraiche Recipe Source: Ice Cream, from Williams-Sonoma
Creme Fraiche Ice Cream Recipe Inspired By: Ice Cream, from Williams-Sonoma