What a scoop!: Peach
It is a sin to make this gelato with anything but the finest, ripest, juiciest peaches. You can use white or yellow peaches (or indeed nectarines). On balance, I prefer the colour and delicacy of white peaches, but you should be driven more by the quality of what’s available.
MAKES about 1 litre or 15 scoops
125g granulated or caster sugar
stabiliser: 1 level tsp locust bean gum powder or 2 tbsp starch (arrowroot or cornflour)
225ml water
50g glucose syrup (liquid glucose) or light runny honey
3-5 very ripe white or yellow peaches (800g-900g)
- In a small bowl, stir the sugar and stabiliser powder together thoroughly.
- Put the water and the glucose or runny honey in a saucepan. Heat gently to bring just to the boil. Pour the contents of the bowl into the saucepan in a steady stream, stirring all the while with a whisk. Bring back to just boiling, then remove from the heat. Leave the syrup to cool until tepid before using. (It will keep for up to a week in the fridge.)
- Peel (see tip) and stone the peaches. Blend the peach flesh finely with the sorbet syrup, and pass it through a sieve into a bowl. (Discard the contents of the sieve.)
- Transfer the mixture to your ice-cream machine and churn until fully firm. Before serving, put the peach gelato in the freezer for half an hour or so to firm up. If it has been stored in the freezer longer and is too firm, allow it to soften in the fridge until scoopable.
TIP To peel the peaches, use a serrated peeler or dip the fruit for 10 seconds in unsalted boiling water, then refresh in cold water and slip off the skins by hand.