For many, summer officially begins with the first taste of the season’s perfect fruit. That initial bite of a sweet, floral watermelon, the first savory heirloom tomato, and a perfectly juicy peach mark the start of the warm months. The season is about celebrating the flavor of produce as it is, without unnecessary additions. This approach extends to desserts, which aim to highlight fruit flavors with minimal extra work. During a recent heatwave, the appeal of sweet treats that do not require turning on the oven has grown. This has led to the popularity of shaved frozen peaches with cream.
The shaved frozen fruit trend has many fans, and different varieties have been tried throughout the season. Options include shaved watermelon with a pinch of salt and chili, shaved honeydew with a squeeze of honey, and shaved peaches with vanilla cardamom cream. This last option offers the joy of a peach cobbler without the effort.
What You Will Need for Frozen Shaved Peaches and Cream
The ingredient list is simple and short. It serves as a starting point for substitutions with personal additions. The ingredients include peaches of any seasonal variety, heavy whipping cream as the dessert base, fresh ground cardamom, vanilla bean powder or vanilla extract, a generous pinch of salt, a bit of powdered sugar, and biscuits such as shortbread, almond cookies, or biscotti.
How to Make This Frozen Dessert
While the dessert is simple, a few strategies help achieve the best results. The fruit should be frozen overnight to ensure it is completely solid, which allows for light and fluffy shavings. The cream should not be over-whipped; keeping it to a texture similar to slightly melted ice cream is ideal. If the peaks become too stiff, an extra splash of cream can be added and folded in to soften. Adding fresh peaches along with the frozen ones provides extra sweetness and texture that pairs well with the shavings. Any crunchy toppings can be used, such as crushed biscuits, chopped nuts, chopped white chocolate, or granola. For a breakfast-style dessert, a big dollop of yogurt can be added to the cream, or the cream can be substituted entirely with yogurt.
These shaved peaches are well-suited for serving a crowd. A large batch of the cream can be prepared ahead of time, and guests can grate their own frozen peaches over their bowls and add their own toppings. Other easy dinner party desserts for the season include Make Ahead No Bake Ricotta Honey Cheesecake Bars, Summer Fruit Salad with Crushed Meringue, and Raspberry Tiramisu.
