Succulent summer peaches plus crumbled macaroons — two terrific additions that transform plain vanilla ice cream into something special.

Don’t get me wrong. I love vanilla ice cream. I spent my childhood defending my preference for “boring!” to a cousin who insisted that real ice cream eaters eat only chocolate and that those little specks in the vanilla ice cream were, in fact, dirt.

But while good vanilla ice cream remains unsurpassed, at least in my opinion, sometimes you just want something different for a change. Peaches are ripe and ready now. Macaroons are the cookies of the moment. So — put them together and make ice cream. Here’s a recipe — it’s easy because there aren’t any eggs to beat and cook:

Peach Macaroon Ice Cream

2-3/4 cups half and half

3/4 cup apricot nectar

3/4 cup sugar

6 ripe peaches, peeled and chopped

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 cup crushed macaroons

1 teaspoon almond extract

Combine the cream, apricot nectar and sugar in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves and small bubbles form around the edges of the pan. Remove from the heat and refrigerate the mixture until cold. Combine the peaches and lemon juice and stir into the cold cream mixture. Place in an ice cream maker and mix according to manufacturer’s directions. When the mixture is partially frozen, add the macaroons and almond extract. Continue mixing until the desired consistency has been reached. Makes about one quart

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