Creamy Grilled Peach and Bourbon Sorbet

OK.  So I am in a conundrum as to what to call this dessert.  I started out thinking this was going to be an ice cream. But then I decided to up the amount of peaches and add grilled peach puree to the ice cream base — making it more icy than creamy, but also a lot peachier.  So, the idea of sherbet came to mind — a fruitier, lower fat version of ice cream– but my recipe has cream in it.  I am sure somewhere in the land of ice cream making that there is a term for whatever this is … but I settled on a Creamy Sorbet, which itself is somewhat blasphemous because sorbet is icy and fruity but is never made with dairy.

I guess, in the end, I decided on “creamy sorbet” because it sounded nicer than sherbet.  The end product also reminded me most of sorbet from a textural perspective.  I am not a purist, nor am I classically trained (or trained at all, for that matter), so you’ll have to put up with my limited knowledge.  But I do know that regardless of what you call this, it tastes delicious and is really refreshing on a hot summer night.

It is lightly sweetened with honey (use sugar if you like, but you’d have to heat the cream to dissolve it) and uses grilled peaches — which really enhances their flavor.  The sorbet (or whatever you call it) is finished with some bourbon, and while I used two tablespoons, I think you could add a bit more if you weren’t worried about serving it to children. However if you enjoy giving your children bourbon, please feel free to add more.  It is the end of summer, and I know we are all feeing it, aren’t we?

Creamy Grilled Peach and Bourbon Sorbet

Makes about two quarts

8 ripe peaches, halved and pitted
1 1/2 cups of cream
1 1/2 cups of milk
1/2 cup of honey
1 t vanilla extract
1/8 t of salt
1/4 t ground ginger
Zest of one lime
2 T bourbon

1.  Grill peach halves for 5-7 minutes until nicely charred.  (You can broil them instead, just flip them half way through).

2.  In a blender, combine four grilled peaches (8 halves), cream, milk, honey, vanilla, salt, ginger, and bourbon.  Blend well until completely pureed.  Stir in lime zest and chill mixture very well for several hours. (If you are short on time, pour it into a medium bowl and place medium bowl inside a large bowl filled with ice water, making sure not to get ice water into the peach mixture.  Stir frequently until chilled.)

3.  Freeze mixture in an ice cream freezer according to manufacturer’s instructions. During the last five or ten minutes or freezing, chop remaining four peaches (8 halves) and add to ice cream freezer.  Serve immediately or put into a container and store in the freezer until ready to serve.  It will be quite hard out of the freezer, so give it time to soften.

(Note:  I served these with a ginger variation of the honey tuile cookie.  To make six cookies:  combine 1 T honey, 1 T brown sugar, 1 T melted butter, 1/8 t cardamom, 1/8 t ground ginger, 1 T white whole wheat flour, and 1 T sesame seeds.  Spread six rounds of the batter into circles on a parchment lined sheet and bake in a preheated 375 F oven for about 6 minutes until bubbly and golden.  You can shape them if you like when they are hot or leave them circular.)