BurNed Peach Ice Cream (soooo I cheated a little!)
Soooooooooooooo yummy!!!
2 cups half-n-half
1 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup peach preserves (not jelly)
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
Pinch kosher salt
4 medium peaches, halved, seeded and grilled or broiled until brown
Combine all ingredients (including the bean and its pulp) in a large sauce pan and place over medium heat. Attach a frying or candy thermometer to inside of pan. (see note below) Stirring occasionally, bring the mixture to 170 degrees F. Remove from heat and strain into a lidded container. Cool mixture, then refrigerate mixture overnight to mellow flavors and texture.
Freeze mixture in ice cream freezer according to unit's instructions. The mixture will not freeze hard in the machine. Meanwhile, chop peaches roughly. Once the volume has increased by 1/2 and reached a soft serve consistency, add the peaches and continue turning to incorporate. Spoon the mixture back into a lidded container and harden in the freezer at least 1 hour before serving.
It's an old Italian favorite. It's cooked cornmeal...thicker than, say Cream of Wheat. My Grandmother used to stir the cornmeal in a huge pot with a big wooden paddle...NOT a spoon, but a huge paddle! She called it the Polenta stick! She generally made it on Christmas, Easter and birthdays for those who LOVED it! I was one of them!
She always served it with tomato gravy and fried dough. Soooo good. Has anyone else ever had Polenta?