This peach sherbet is the creamiest frozen dessert made with fresh peaches for a flavorful peachy treat
Do you call this frozen dessert “shur-bit” or “shur-burt?”
As I linguist, I know that in speaking the same language there is no “one correct” accent or pronunciation of certain words. There are certain pronunciations of a word that may be more widely accepted, but it doesn’t mean the other options are wrong. As well as having a different accent in different places there are different dialects as well; for example what would you call a carbonated sweetened drink? I grew up calling it pop because I lived in Utah then, and when I moved to California I started calling it soda. Some people from the south would call it coke, others call it cola, soda pop, fizzy, etc. Is there one right or wrong way to say it? No.
People are generally considered to have accents when they say things that aren’t neutral, things that show us where they are from based on the words they say or how they say them.
Growing up on the west coast and marrying a husband from the east coast surprisingly hasn’t lead to too many differences in who we are, what we do, or even how we speak. Since he’s not from New York, or Boston or Louisiana then we don’t notice those things. But there are a couple words I have noticed that we say different. Its no big deal, but it just makes me curious if it’s a Nate Berrett thing or a northern Virginia thing. I’m leaning towards the latter because a couple other friends from the area say it the same way as him.
How do you pronounce the frozen fruit mixture that has a little milk in it, but isn’t ice cream. Sherbet. I say it like this “shur-bit”. Nate fondly calls it “shur-burt”. What? Where that extra ‘r’ comes from I have no idea.
Well, we have a wonderful home here in Orem. We live in the “Orchard Area” of Orem, and are surrounded by apple, pear and peach orchards. But somehow our house had no fruit trees. Not a single one. Growing up with dozens of different fruit trees at my parents homes to zero was not something I could handle. So we bought one. A peach tree. I would have guessed that a first year tree would not produce any or at least not very much fruit. Of course our tree didn’t produce hundreds of peaches but we did get about 2 dozen, which I think is amazing considering the size. You can only eat so many fresh peaches or make peach cobbler, but I cut them up in pieces, sugared them, and blended them with some half and half to make fresh creamy peach sherbet.
What makes this peach sherbet instead of peach ice cream or peach sorbet?
Peach sherbet is so easy to make it only takes 3 ingredients; peaches, sugar, and dairy – half and half. That’s what sherbet is mostly fruit with a little sugar and dairy added. Did you know ice cream is mostly dairy with a little fruit or flavor added? And sorbet is just fruit and sugar. Sherbet is always with fruit, sorbet is always with fruit, ice cream is always with dairy.
Can I make peach sherbet without an ice cream maker?
Yes, you can make this peach sherbet or any other sherbet without an ice cream maker. You will start the same with peeled and diced peaches, but now freeze them. The best way to freeze the peaches is to lay them flat on a parchment covered cooking pan then place in freezer to flash freeze in about 30 minutes. Transfer the frozen peaches to a freezer container and store in freezer until ready to use.
The next step is to pour the half and half into an ice cube tray and freeze the dairy. Once everything is frozen, blend the sugar, frozen peaches, and frozen dairy. From here directly pour into a freezer container and freezer. Because the peach sherbet is not as thicken as it would be in an ice cream maker, it will take longer to freeze but it will still make delicious sherbet.
If you have an ice cream maker, you can start with fresh peaches – peeled and chopped. Blend them with the sugar and half and half. Pour into the ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Starting with cold fruit and half and half should have the peach sherbet ready to freeze sooner. Once the mixture is the thickness of soft serve ice cream or a thick milkshake it is ready to transfer to a freezer container. Freeze at least 2 hours before serving. I waited overnight and my peach sherbet was still creamy and flavorful.
Peach Sherbet
Ingredients
Peach Sherbet
- 4 cups peaches (peeled and chopped)
- 1 cup white sugar*
- 1 cup half and half
Equipment
- Ice Cream Maker
- Large Mixing Bowl
Instructions
Peach Sherbet
- Peel and chopped peaches, put into a large bowl
- Stir in 1 cup sugar, set aside for about 10 minutes to let sugar and juices macerate
- Add half and half
- Pour into a blender and blend until smooth
- You can either chill in your fridge overnight now or add directly to your ice cream maker
- Follow your ice cream maker instructions, process until mixture is the texture of a soft serve ice cream or a thick milk shake
- Add to a freezer container and freeze for 2 hours miniumun, serve and enjoy
- Store in freezer for a couple of days for freshest flavor
Notes
Peach sherbet was originally published on August 24, 2012 – post and photos were updated August 2020
Linda says
Amazing! Used first Peach Truck box of the season. Who knew something so simple could taste so good. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
Aimee says
So glad you loved it! I can’t wait to get fresh peaches from the stands here!
Catherine Casey says
Is it possible to do this with home canned peaches? Would I cut the sugar?Many thanks!
Aimee says
I think it should work with canned peaches. You’d have to know how sweet they are to know how much to cut the sugar, maybe by 1/4 cup or so?
barbara fox says
Sherbert is an alternative spelling and pronunciation to Sherbet.
Becky says
This makes me wish I had a peach tree!! Looks so delish. I might just have to go buy some now!!
Camille says
Summer peaches are so yummy. This is a great recipe — easy and pure ingredients!
silver account says
Utah has lots of pioneer heritage and those pioneers were wonderful about planting fruit trees wherever they went. There is a three story apple tree in my neighbors yard that I’m sure is pioneer planted. I would have never thought of Utah as being a great place to grow fruit, but it really is. The warmth mixed with plenty of irrigated water from the mountain really does well for fruit. Right now peaches, plums, and pears are ripe while we wait for our apples to sweeten with the onset of cold. Mmm, I love apple season.
Winnie says
I say “Sher-bet” but here most people say “sor-be”, but honestly I don’t care as long as I have it to eat :):)
It looks wonderful and very easy to make
Beautiful photo btw
aimeeberrett says
Haha, it was a really easy and delicious recipe! You should try it out. And sorbet is actually just made of fruit juice, where sherbet has milk and fruit juice. Let me know if you try it 🙂
Craig says
I’d go with shur-bit. But since I normally choose ice cream instead, it is rarely used.