Peach Ice Cream Pie with Amaretti Cookie Crust

What a lovely way to say good-bye to summer. Fresh August peaches really can't be beat, and when you put them in an ice cream pie, they're just about perfect.

I'm not sure the proportions were exactly correct since I had a lot of leftover "pie filling". Then again, I used my vanilla ice cream recipe for 7 out of the 9 cups of vanilla ice cream called for, so I'm not sure if that threw anything off. I'm going to write down the original recipe and maybe just not add the extra store-bought ice cream next time, and we'll see what happens...

I also wanted to note that I used a coffee grinder to mash up the amaretti cookies. My food processor is pretty lame, so I knew I wouldn't have been able to get a fine crush on them that way, but I figure anyone with a non-lame food processor would have an easier time of it.

I should also note that saying that this pie serves 8-10 is assuming that you're serving Hagrid and his friends. I happily served this so that it would serve 16, and no one complained. And woohoo, more leftovers.

Peach Ice Cream Pie with Amaretti Cookie Crust
Courtesy of Bon Appétit



Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1 1/3 cups finely ground amaretti cookies (Italian macaroons) plus 1/2 cup coarsely crushed cookies
1 tablespoon sugar
2 pinches of salt
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
3 pounds firm but ripe peaches, halved, pitted, cut into 3/4-inch-wide wedges
1 cup (packed) plus 1 tablespoon golden brown sugar, divided
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 1/4 quarts vanilla ice cream (9 cups)
2/3 cup chilled heavy whipping cream

Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat 9-inch glass pie dish with nonstick spray. Mix finely ground cookie crumbs, 1 tablespoon sugar, and pinch of salt in medium bowl. Add lukewarm melted butter; mix to blend. Press crumbs onto bottom and up sides of dish. Bake until golden around edges, about 10 minutes. Cool completely in dish on rack.

Preheat broiler. Line rimmed baking sheet with foil. Coat with nonstick spray. Arrange peaches in even layer on sheet. Broil until beginning to brown, watching closely to avoid burning, 3 to 5 minutes. Sprinkle 1/4 cup brown sugar over peaches. Broil until sugar melts and caramelizes, rotating sheet for even cooking, 2 to 3 minutes longer. Transfer peaches and juices to bowl (leave any burned parts behind). Add 3/4 cup brown sugar, lemon juice, and pinch of salt to peaches; stir until sugar dissolves. Cover; chill until cold, about 2 hours.

Slightly soften ice cream in microwave on low power in 20-second intervals. Transfer to large bowl. Add broiled-peach mixture. Fold to incorporate peaches (peaches will break apart). Spoon about 2/3 of ice cream into cooled crust; smooth top. Cover and freeze pie and remaining peach ice cream separately until firm, about 4 hours. Using medium-size ice cream scoop, scoop remaining ice cream in bowl in level coops and arrange in concentric circles top pie. Freeze pie. DO AHEAD: Can be made days ahead. Cover and keep frozen.

Using electric mixer, beat cream and remaining 1 tablespoon brown sugar in medium bowl until peaks form. Sprinkle coarsely crushed amaretti cookies over pie. Cut into wedges and serve with dollop of brown sugar whipped cream.