New Fruit!

 Ah, summer!  It might technically be two weeks away, but don't tell the fruit!  South Carolina peaches are finally here, but not quite ready for prime time.  They need a lot of coaxing, roasting, spicing and poaching to get much flavor out of them.  And so, I roasted them with vanilla bean and Jack Daniels' to get the mousse peachy.  I roasted more with just vanilla bean and browned butter for the puree, and the peach balls were sous vide cooked with lemon zest, raw sugar and more vanilla bean.  And voila!  Peach Ice Box Pie!  It's sitting on gingersnaps made with fresh ginger, and the whipped cream is slightly gelatinized to be able to cut it into the box shape.
  I love desserts lined up, and have to share this with you:
Lots of little boxy peachy pies!

Another fruit that's ready to go is cherries.  The only cherries that I've found locally are mean little sour cherries that are adorable but, in my opinion, inedible.  So, I cheat and buy Washington's best.  I simply can't stand the thought of letting cherries go by, just because they can't grow here!  And so, here is Cherry Clafouti on an almond crust with red wine caramel and almond milk sherbet.  Most of the time, I can't print recipes because they're in, or are going to be in, our cookbooks.   This almond milk sherbet is an experiment gone very, very well, and I want to share it with you.

ALMOND MILK SHERBET
Toast until golden brown:
  1 lb. sliced almonds
Pour over almonds while still hot:
  4 cups whole milk
Let steep for at least one hour.  Puree in a blender, then strain through a fine mesh sieve.  Discard almonds and add to liquid:
  2 cups simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water, brought to a boil then cooled)
  1/4 teaspoon almond extract
Freeze according to your ice cream maker's directions.
This is so yummy, and so simple, I hope you try it!  When blueberries and blackberries come in, around the 4th of July, this would go really well with them, too.  Hurray for summer!