Succulent Stone Fruit (Plus Bonus Peach Ice Cream Recipe!)

What's more perfect than the most perfect nectarine? Maybe the most perfect peach? Maybe? Or a barrel full of perfectly ripe cherries? I don't know, they're all pretty perfect. Stone fruit is absolute heaven in summer—bursting with sweet, juicy flavor, it really is "nature's candy." And that's a term I hate, because my mom used to force fruit into me by trying to spin it as candy. Well, I was young and foolish, I didn't yet know that mom always knows best. I raise this perfect tangerine in her honor! Or, I raise the pit, because the rest of it's gone. Oops!

Here are a few of my favorite recipes:

And just because you're all the best, here's my favorite stone fruit recipe of all time:

Peachy Peach Ice Cream
I love ice cream. I was obsessed with making it when I got my first ice cream maker and a copy of The Vegan Scoop. Man, I love that book. So many amazing ice cream recipes, so few opportunties to gorge guilt-free! Oh well, I can't be stopped, and why would I want to? Inspired by The Vegan Scoop and VegWeb's own impressive ice cream recipes, I decided to experiment. And experiment I did! Especially with my new favorite stone fruit, peaches. If all of summer's sunshine and happiness can be contained in own bowl, it's this one. Use extreme caution when diving into this dangerous deliciousness, because you might not emerge until the whole batch is gone. Oh well, it's only summer once a year. Enjoy!

What You Need:

4 pounds peaches, pitted and puréed
2 lemons, juiced
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 8-ounce cans coconut cream
2 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups peaches, chopped

What You Do:

In a large bowl, place first four ingredients and stir to combine. In another large bowl, combine the chopped peaches and sugar and mix until sugar disolves. Place the chopped peaches into the peach purée and stir to combie. Freeze mixture per ice cream machine's instructions. Try to eat just one scoop, I triple dog dare you!