Bena Mae’s Kitchen: A Horrendous Week

Severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings have made it a
nerve-tingling week, being forecast almost daily.
On late Thursday night I was watching some benign TV program when the
phone rang.  It was my grandson calling from Knoxville.  "Mammaw," he
said, " I thought I would warn you that a tornado is heading your way
and you need to be prepared.   They’re saying the tornado has several
funnel clouds that have already touched down and they should be in your
area at 1:17 a.m."
He was also in the path of the tornado, so we agreed to stay in touch
by cell phone until the all clear was announced.  He and other
residents of the large building where he lived were seeking shelter in
the basement of his condo.
I turned to the weather channel on TV and there it was, a big red blob
seemingly centered over the top of my house. The reports became more
dire by the minute. The weather forecasters said they may have to go
off the air as their TV station was in imminent threat of the path of a
tornado heading their way.
The red area signifying that Clinton was a definite target seemed to
stay there forever, increasing my anxiety that this one was the real
thing.  The wind was howling, the rain was coming down in buckets
accompanied by constant lightning, so I grabbed a couple of pillows, my
cell phone and flashlight and headed for the closet.  Memories of my
childhood and my mother’s extreme fear of storms had remained with me
all my life and were being re-enacted in my own mind.
Then the flash-flood warnings began to appear. Half of Knoxville was
under water, roads were blocked and 127,000 residents were without
power.  We were told to phone or text neighbors and family members and
relay the warning to them since they had no way of knowing what was
happening.  I phoned several friends, but got a message machine. 
However, I did get through to a few of them.
At last, when they announced that we were in the clear, I felt the
fifty-pound weight lifting from my chest.  No injuries were reported,
thank God, but is this a portent of things to come?
Noah, start building another ark.  We may need it.

Fresh Peach Ice Cream

Ingredients
2 cups half-and-half cream
3-1/2 cups sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
6 eggs, lightly beaten
4 cups heavy whipping cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 to 8 medium peach, peeled and sliced or 4 cups frozen unsweetened peach slices

Directions
In a large saucepan, heat half-and-half to 175°; stir in the sugar and salt until dissolved. Whisk a small amount of hot cream mixture into the eggs. Return all to the pan, whisking constantly. Cook and stir over low heat until the mixture reaches at least 160° and coats the back of a metal spoon. Remove from the heat. Cool quickly by placing pan in a bowl of ice water; stir for 2 minutes. Stir in whipping cream and vanilla. Press plastic wrap onto surface of custard. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
Place peaches in a blender, cover and process until pureed. Stir into the custard. Fill cylinder of ice cream freezer two-thirds full; freeze according to manufacturer’s directions. Refrigerate remaining mixture until ready to freeze, stirring before freezing each batch. Allow to ripen in ice cream freezer or firm up in the refrigerator freezer for 2-4 hours before serving. Yield: about 3 quarts.