Ever since I had my first Caprese salad, I have been a huge fan of fresh mozzarella cheese. And then on a fateful trip to the East Atlanta Farmers Market, the cheese guy there introduced me to burrata. It was a revelation: fresh mozzarella on…
I bought a house so that I could grow tomatoes. Store bought tomatoes just aren’t the same and I could only get cherry tomatoes to grow on my condo balcony. So now that I have a yard, I plant LOTS of tomatoes. One of the…
It just isn’t summer until I’ve had homemade peach ice cream. My grandparents had two Georgia Bell peach trees in their backyard and I remember summers when they were just loaded with peaches. Naturally, peach ice cream was often on the menu. Those summers are where I learned the secret to great peach ice cream: perfectly ripe peaches. Recently my friend Dixon got me The Perfect Scoop, David Lebovitz‘s cookbook dedicated to all things ice cream and frozen desserts. Naturally, the first recipe that I tried was his peach ice cream. Since the peaches were plentiful, I decided to make both David’s version and my mom’s recipe and do an ice cream tasting with Dixon to decide which we liked best. (PS: Ice cream tastings should be a thing.)
The Verdict: Both peach ice creams were delicious. The Perfect Scoop peach ice cream tasted sophisticated and complex (but was still super easy to make). Mom’s…., well, it was pure essence of peach. So which should you make? It depends on what you are in the mood for. Looking for a traditional, simple peach ice cream: go with my mom’s peach ice cream recipe. Looking for something more sophisticated: go with David’s Perfect Scoop version. Regardless of which you choose, you won’t be disappointed.
Skip to detailed instructions or see other peach recipes.
Step 0. Wait for peaches to be perfectly ripe. Your patience will be rewarded.
Step 1. Peel and dice the peaches. If peaches are really ripe the skin will peel off relatively easily (at least with most peach varieties). If you haven’t mastered this technique, see Southern Living’s advice on how to peel a peach.
Step 2. Add sugar to the peaches until the mixture is ‘gritty’ – this takes about 2/3 c of sugar. (Mom tastes it to make sure it feels gritty.) Let sit for 15 min so the juices release from the peaches.
Step 3. Mash the peaches with a pastry cutter OR pulse in a blender or food processor. If you want chunks of peach in your ice cream, be sure to not to over-process the peaches. Add cream and milk and mix together.
Step 5. Freeze in ice cream freezer according to the manufacturers instructions. Put ice cream in container and place in freezer for an hour or so for the ice cream to firm up before serving. Remove ice cream from freezer 10-15 min before scooping to let the ice cream soften up.
I confess: as I child I did not like green beans. I was a picky eater, so getting me to eat anything green was a challenge. Fast forward 20 years and I had roasted green beans at a friend’s house for dinner. Of course I…
My dad loved cheese. This is our first Father’s Day without him. I’ve been missing him a lot lately, so to feel closer to him this week I’m made one if his favorite foods: macaroni & cheese. Mac & cheese was a regular in the…
Under normal circumstances I would be going someplace far away and fun this summer. Sadly, COVID19 has clipped my wings. I know some people are starting to travel, but until my mom gets through her upcoming surgery I’m playing it safe. Given that, I’m looking for activities closer to home that will satisfy my itch to get out of the house, but do so safely. That’s why I was so excited when I heard the Atlanta Botanical Gardens is open again! It checks all the boxes – beautiful, outside, easy to social distance. As a bonus, it is constantly changing – every time you go something different will be in bloom.
I originally planned to post my recipe for strawberry shortcake, but when I went to the Decatur Farmers Market and the first peaches of the season were there. I couldn’t resist making Peach Shortcake instead. My mom went crazy over it, so it is now…
I’ve been spoiled all spring with fresh lettuce from my garden. This strawberry salad is one of my favorite salads to make with fresh-from-the-garden lettuce. I’ll either eat it as a side or add chicken, salmon, pork or steak to make it a main dish.…
During the pandemic one of the things I’ve missed most is going out to restaurants with friends. One of my favorite restaurants has always been La Tavola in Virginia Highlands. I always look forward to La Tavola: Molto Monday pasta, birthday dinners, Sunday brunch, summer tomato tastings or just a week night dinner catching up with a friend. Regardless of the occasion, the staff is always friendly and knowledgeable and the Italian food is always delicious.
I’ve missed La Tavola during the pandemic. I worry about them and other restaurants and their employees. They always take such good care of us. To help in some small way take care of them during these crazy times, I’ve been ordering take-out. When I went to pick up my food at La Tavola recently, the inside of the restaurant had been cleared of tables and chairs. Like so many restaurants, they are re-configuring their space to be able to safely open to diners while social-distancing is required. It was disconcerting to see a space that would normally be so full of people and life be so empty. The only people inside were the staff who, as usual, were friendly and helpful. I took my takeout back to my patio. Clearly it wasn’t as good as sliding into one of their booths to have dinner with friends or family. But the food, as always, was delicious. I look forward to going back La Tavola for dinner again soon.
La Tavola Trattoria
992 Virginia Ave
Atlanta, GA
Like the good southern girl that I am, one of the first things I learned to make was buttermilk biscuits. For almost every Sunday dinner of my childhood my grandmother, Big Quin, made biscuits and I was right there at her elbow helping out. Every…
