Cool, Calm & Collected { & Lavender Peach Ice Cream Recipe Alert! }

Well other than sweltering in the heat, how has your summer been going? I've been busy designing... bedrooms! a master and a guest... and of course how can I not be influenced by the soaring temperatures this exceptionally hot summer here in North America...

So I have gravitated towards all things cool... soft aquas, blues, greens, silver, white. I've been collecting images from all over the internet as inspiration...  irresistibly appealing now and surely will still be refreshing when the winter rains come around again!

Hope these images help you cool off... let me know if you feel a few degrees more chill!

all images via Pinterest except oil paintings and silver, 

which are at auction this week in Provence,

and Benjamin Moore site

Feeling cooler?

Now go have some Roasted Peach & Lavender Ice Cream

and a Pomegranate Cooler

Roasted Peach and Lavender Ice Cream *:

Use any stone fruit you like best. Do not worry if you can't remove the pits before you put them in the oven, both skins and pits will yield under your fingers once the fruits are roasted. Cook, peel, mash and throw in with the ice cream base which is nothing more complicated than milk and cream and a little sugar or honey.

Best is to prepare the fruit and ice cream base the day before you plan on churning it.

Ingredients:

6 peaches

1 tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon dried edible lavender buds

1 cups heavy cream

1 cup whole milk

1 cup whole coconut milk

1/3 cup honey

Prepare the ice cream:

Preheat the oven to 400F. 

Cut the peaches in half and remove the pits.

Place in large roasting pan, cut side up. Drizzle with the honey and lavender. Roast until golden brown and soft, about 30 minutes. Let cool completely and peel the skins off the peaches (you can roast them the day before if you want). Reserve.

In a large saucepan set over medium heat, cook together the cream, milk coconut milk and honey until they barely come to a boil. Remove from the heat and let cool completely. Refrigerate until cold.

When both fruit and ice cream based are chilled sufficiently, mash the peaches with a potato masher or a fork (no need to puree fine), add them to the base and process the ice cream according to your ice cream maker manufacturer's instruction.

Freeze until set.

* this lovely recipe is from the gorgeous Tartlette; I used her recipe to make my ice cream, it was so much fun to make and eat!