Ingredients

Step by step

1. Put the sugar in a saucepan with 100ml water and heat, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved. Leave this sugar syrup to cool completely.
2. Drop the peaches into a large pan of boiling water and leave to blanch for 2 minutes. Drain and refresh in cold water. Peel the peaches (keep the skins), halve, and discard the stones.
3. Purée the peach flesh in a food processor in batches, then press through a sieve into a large bowl. Put the peach skins in the sieve and press over the bowl to extract all their richly coloured juice. Add the sugar syrup to the sieved purée and then add lemon juice to taste.
4. Pour into an ice cream maker and churn until softly set (or churn by hand – see Ingredient Spotlight). Transfer to a freezer-proof container and leave in the freezer to ‘ripen’ for at least 1 hour before serving. If frozen for longer before serving, let it soften slightly for 5–10 minutes at room temperature.
   Tip

   Ingredient spotlight
   Peaches are good on their own but this recipe takes them to a new level. Use luscious, ripe white peaches for this sorbet. It will be slightly pink, not white, because when you blanch them the colour from the skins will penetrate into the flesh. You’ll need an ice cream maker to get a really smooth texture, or freeze the mixture in a shallow container, whisking it every hour or so as it freezes to break up the ice crystals.