Philip Gelb’s Polenta Peach Cake and Peach-Pecan Ice Cream

From the story  The Peachy Time of Year

These recipes and Hannah Kaminsky’s photos from Philip Gelb’s Vegan Underground are reprinted with permission. Learn more about the book and Gelb’s Sound and Savor Masumoto Peach Dinners at soundandsavor.com.

Yield: one 9-inch cake

2 ripe peaches

Dry mix:
1 cup coarsely ground cornmeal
1 cup flour
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon baking soda

Wet mix:
1 cup almond milk
½ cup maple syrup
½ cup olive oil
Oil, for brushing

Place a 9-inch cast-iron pan in the oven as you preheat oven to 350°.

Meanwhile, slice the peaches into eighths.

Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl and the wet ingredients in a small bowl. Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients, gently mixing until combined.

Remove the hot cast-iron pan from the oven, and brush the bottom and sides with oil. Pour the batter into the pan and cover batter with the peach slices.

Bake in the center of the oven for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Peach-Pecan Ice Cream

Yield: about 1½ quarts

For the simple syrup
1 cup sugar or palm sugar
3 cups water
1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped out
(use seeds and pod)

For the ice cream mix
2 cups raw cashews
1 cup raw pecans
1 cup water
5 ripe unpeeled peaches, pitted and sliced
½ teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Make a simple syrup by simmering the sugar, water, and vanilla seeds and pod in a saucepan, stirring until sugar is fully dissolved. Remove the pod and allow syrup to cool.

Food photographer and recipe developer Hannah Kaminsky shares her latest creations on BitterSweetBlog.com. She is the author of My Sweet Vegan, Vegan Desserts, Vegan à la Mode, Easy as Vegan Pie, and Real Food, Really Fast.