Vanilla Maple Nectarine Ice Cream

Most of the time, we think of hugs as being warm.  They make us happy, and comfort us, warming us from the inside out.  Kind of like comfort food, it is like a big warm hug to our stomach.  Well, most of the time that is.  This week has been icreadibly warm and humid across most of the country and Minnesota is no exception.  Although real hugs are always welcome on my end even in hot weather, warm comfort food hugs are not.  And this is why I decided that a cold comfort food hug from ice cream was perfectly acceptable. 

Why not consider ice cream a comfort food?  Afterall, when I eat it, I am reminded of childhood and summers past, letting the soothing creamy frozen dessert melt on my tongue and cool my body.  It is just what is needed to make me feel more comfortable when it is 98 degrees outside and the dewpoint is in the mid 70s.  My oven has not run for most of the week, but my ice cream maker doesn't heat up the house. 

When deciding what type of ice cream to make yesterday, I knew I wanted something filled with delicious fruit.  I had a bunch of ripe nectarines begging to be used, which was perfect!  Not wanting to override the flavor of the nectarines, but still wanting to add another flavor element, I decided to add the delicate scent of vanilla to the ice cream as well as a bit of maple.  The base tasted wonderful!

The only bad part of the ice cream making process was having to wait over night for it to ripen in the freezer and be scoopable.  It was well worth the wait though, let me tell you!  The flavor was unlike any other ice cream I have tasted, it had its own unique sweetness from the ripe nectarines, and smelled wonderful with the beautiful scents of vanilla and maple. 

After having a large bowl, I can assure you that this is summer comfort food at its best.  Maybe you need some comfort food to give you a little break from the heat.  Here is the recipe if you would like to try some!

Vanilla Maple Nectarine Ice Cream

Makes 6 cups

Ice Cream:

3 cups organic full fat coconut milk, chilled

2 cups diced ripe organic nectarines

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/2 cup agave nectar

1 tsp maple extract

1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract

seeds of one vanilla bean

1/4 tsp sea salt

Combine all ingredients in a blender, and process until well blended.  Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and process according to package directions (mine takes about an hour, and is still a little soupy like the consistency of a malt, but firms up in the freezer later). Once processed, pour into freezable container with a lid, and place in the freezer for at least a few hours, or overnight to firm up for best results.