It's a peachy time of year

A friend of mine, Ed Hebert, brought me some peaches, so I was thinking about what I could do with them. To thank him for the delicious fruit, this week we are preparing a very tasty peach crisp with peach ice cream and peach chips.

This recipe might sound like a lot of work, but it's really very easy, and you don't have to prepare each part all at once. For example, you can blend the ice cream ingredients ahead of time and refrigerate it overnight before processing it in your ice cream maker.

PEACH CRISP WITH PEACH ICE CREAM AND PEACH CHIPS

Ingredients

For the ice cream:

2 cups chopped fresh peaches

1-1⁄2 cups sugar

2 cups heavy cream

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

6 egg yolks

For the peach chips:

4 tablespoons clarified butter

2 peaches, sliced thinly with a mandoline

For the crisp:

4 cups fresh peaches, peeled and sliced

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon flour

1 cup oatmeal

1 cup brown sugar

4 tablespoons melted butter

Putting it together

Let's start with the ice cream. Add all the ice cream ingredients into a blender and puree until smooth. Strain the mixture into a large pot. Cook over medium heat just until it's about to boil. Turn the heat off and stir every few seconds to slow the cooking process until the mixture is thick. Refrigerate until cold — overnight is best. Then process the ice cream following the manufacturer's instructions for your ice cream machine.

To make the peach chips, line a baking sheet with waxed paper. Brush it with some of the clarified butter and add a single layer of the sliced peaches. Brush the peach slices with more butter, then lay another baking sheet on top to sandwich the slices in between. (This prevents the peach chips from curling.) Bake at 200 degrees for about one hour. Remember that ovens vary, so at the hour point, check the chips frequently for doneness. Bake until the chips are crispy, then remove from the pan and set aside until ready to serve.

To make the peach crisp, add the peaches, sugar, lemon juice, vanilla and flour to a large bowl and mix/toss until the fruit is well coated. Add the mixture to a baking dish. In another bowl, combine the oatmeal, brown sugar and butter and stir until well mixed and crumbly. Spread this mixture over the top of the peach layer in the pan and bake at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes, Once done, let the crisp cool for a few minutes before cutting it.

Serve the crisp while still warm topped with some ice cream and a couple of the peach chips and enjoy.

Antonio Villagomez is head chef and owner of Cilantro's restaurant and catering in Yuba City, Calif. Contact him at 844-2111. His website is cilantros.us.