This homemade Bourbon Nectarine Ice Cream is the perfect blend between sweet fresh fruit and creamy vanilla bean ice cream with a smooth bourbon finish.
I'm not gonna lie. This was one of my most favorite things I've ever made. Everyone in the online world has moved on to sharing pumpkin recipes already, but nectarines are still in their prime where I live. I figured since the entire West Coast as well as the Southeast are feeling the effects of a heat wave right now, what better recipe to share than this spectacular ice cream!
Now your standard nectarine will do just fine, but I have a particular soft spot for globe, or saturn, nectarines. They're sweeter in my opinion and this late in the season they're almost always cling free, or free stone, meaning the flesh easily comes away from the pit.
This was the first time I had ever flambéed. Granted, I just got little baby flames, but they were there and I felt like a professional chef for a brief moment. Now, I wasn't able to have the flames ignite simply by tilting the pan and allowing the flames to meet the alcohol vapor. I cheated a bit and held a lighter over the nectarines and then saw flames. Wikipedia states that by rapidly burning off the volatile alcohol, flambéing can infuse a dish with additional aroma and flavor, and moderates the harshness of raw, high-proof spirits. That it did, because the finished product was oh so good.
This ice cream ended up being so smooth and creamy. The nectarine flavor and the bourbon flavor were both mild and subtle, yet added this rich complexity that made me quite content. And, as with any recipe that calls for vanilla bean, those little black specs you see in the photo below perfectly finished the flavor.
Although I could have easily eaten this entire batch of ice cream, and it made a fair amount but I have a high threshold for dessert consumption, I decided it was best to have an average sized portion. Stored in an air tight container, this ice cream keeps extremely well in the freezer. Just allow it to sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes before scooping it out and it will taste just as good as when you made it. Enjoy!
Full Recipe Instructions
Bourbon Nectarine Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds nectarines (pitted and chopped (peel on))
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ⅓ cup bourbon whiskey
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 3 large egg yolks
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 vanilla bean (split and seeded)
- ½ cup milk
Instructions
- In medium sized skillet, cook nectarines over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in the brown sugar and lemon, stir, and turn heat off when sugar has dissolved.
- Pour the bourbon over the top and do not stir. Turn heat to medium high. Tilt the pan slightly and carefully ignite the alcohol. You can use a lighter to do this as well. The flambe helps infuse the nectarines with additional aroma and flavor. Stir once flames are gone, and cook for 5 minutes.
- Transfer to a bowl and cool in refrigerator.
- Whisk egg yolks and granulated sugar until light yellow, about two minutes.
- In medium saucepan, combine heavy whipping cream, milk, egg yolk and sugar mixture, and split vanilla bean with the seeds. Turn the heat to medium and whisk constantly. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the temperature is 170 degrees F. If you don't have a thermometer, you can test the temperature with your finger. It should be about as hot as you're willing to touch a liquid. It should start to smell like vanilla pudding and when you tilt the pan, it should coat the bottom.
- Transfer to a bowl and cool in refrigerator.
- When both the nectarines and cream mixtures are cool, transfer to a blender or a food processor. Pulse mixture if you want chunks or blend until smooth if you want a creamy ice cream.
- Churn ice cream in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. I had to divide mine into halves and process two separate batches due to the size of my ice cream maker.
- Store in air tight container in freezer. Allow to sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before scooping. Makes about 1 quart.
Tammy
This was sooooo delish!! Had some friends over and they raved all night about it
Kim Taylor
I can't wait to try this one out! Thanks for sharing it!
Katka
Sounds so amazing! Making this now. Can't figure out where adding the milk is 😉
Krissy
Agh! I'm so sorry about that. I just edited the recipe. The milk is to be mixed in along with the heavy cream. Sometimes when I'm writing the recipe out as I cook I get a little rushed (because I'm usually burning something). Hope it worked out and thanks for the comment, Katka! -Krissy
Andi
Oh mamma, you had me at bourbon! Here in San Francisco we have Humphrey Slocombe ice cream and they do a secret breakfast ice cream with bourbon and cereal - so yummy!
spfoodie
Some of the best ice cream I've ever had was in San Francisco!
Angela Price
Wow- I love bourbon and peaches, so nectarines are probably amazing too! Your photos are really great too!
spfoodie
Thanks Angela! It certainly turned out as good as it looks. In fact, I'm craving some right now.
Joy @ The Joyful Foodie
Oh my goodness, this sounds awesome! Definitely pinning this to try soon.
Annette Browning
That ice cream looks amazing! I can't wait to try it 🙂
Theresa @DearCreatives
This sounds amazing! & Looks so delicious! Pinning to my i scream ice cream board! Where's the spoon & pass the dish!