“Dish This!” is a competition held annually during the Franklin County Fair in which 4-H members showcase Iowa-grown food products. Contest categories include: Appetizer / Snack, Salad / Side Dish, Main Dish, Bread and Desserts.
One might think a member of the county’s Kitchen Krew 4-H specialty club would have an advantage of the competition, but don’t be so quick to assume! Ben Reinke, a second year member of the Outdoor Adventures 4-H Club, swept yesterday’s “Dish This!” competition at the Franklin County (Iowa) Fair. He won a purple ribbon in each category he entered: Desserts, Entrée and Breads. He earned a fourth purple ribbon for Best Overall Dish in the Junior division with his ham balls. 
In addition to ham balls, Ben made Apple Cinnamon Rolls and Peach Ice Cream. “I thought of what my favorite meals were and then picked dishes based on that had the most Iowa grown products,” he said.
The peach ice cream, appropriately enough, came from a Ben & Jerry’s® cookbook. Not many people associate Iowa with peaches, so this recipe helps draw attention to the fact that are peaches grow here. However, Ben explained he had to use Georgia peaches for this competition because Iowa peaches are not yet ready. His peach ice cream recipe also incorporates the Iowa food products of cream, milk and eggs. In fact, Ben raises his own farm-fresh eggs.
Not only is this dessert recipe delicious, but all the ingredients are easy to find. You can treat an entire family to homemade ice cream for a total cost of $5.25, which Ben calculated is just $0.65 per serving. Today Ben has allowed us to share his favorite ice cream recipe on TheFieldPosition.
This was the first year Ben took any 4-H projects to the fair, and he spent countless hours preparing them. His efforts were rewarded when his educational poster about Farm Fresh Chicken Eggs was selected for the Iowa State Fair. His Wheat poster/exhibit project was considered for state fair. He also won blue ribbons for a patch quilt that his grandma helped him make from blue jeans and for a welded garden art flower.
Enjoy some of the best foods from the county fair at home. July is National Ice Cream month after all! Ben’s peach ice cream is featured below. Click here for more ice cream dessert recipes:
Time-Saving Tip… Scroll to the very end of each post above to find the featured recipe.
Peach Ice Cream
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 2 cups finely chopped, peeled peaches
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ¼ cups sugar
- 2 cups heavy or whipping cream
- Juice of ½ lemon
- 1 cup milk
Directions
Directions
- Combine the peaches, ½ cup sugar and the lemon juice in a bowl.
- Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes.
- Remove the peaches from the refrigerator and drain the juice into another bowl. Return the peaches to the refrigerator.
- Whisk the eggs in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy, 1-2 minutes.
- Whisk in the remaining ¾ cups sugar, a little at a time, then continue whisking until completely blended.
- Pour in the cream and milk and whisk to blend. Add the peach juice and blend.
- Transfer the mixture to an ice cream maker and freeze following the manufacturer’s instructions.
- After the ice cream stiffens, add the peaches.
- Continue freezing until the ice cream is ready.
Yield: 1 generous quart