Season Stepp: Fruit plus cream equals yum

Peaches and cream cake. Peaches and cream pie. Peaches and cream popsicles, ice cream, smoothie, scones, oatmeal, muffins, parfaits. This combination is so popular and well-known that there are countless ways to explore its possibilities.

At Saturday's Hub City Farmers' Market in downtown Spartanburg, I explored the combination by keeping the peaches local but by putting a slight spin on the “cream” aspect: cream soda.

Cream soda has evolved over the years from something that began as water, sugar, eggs, milk and some sort of acid (such as cream of tartar) which, right before consumption, is mixed with baking soda (a base) to create a fizzy drink. Today, American cream soda is a vanilla-flavored carbonated beverage with sweet, creamy and even frothy traits. By combining cream soda to sorbet, the fruit mixture is sweetened while giving it a creamy and almost bubbly effect.

Sorbet can be made from nearly any fruit and it is a light, refreshing delight. Finely puree almost any fruit of choice, sweeten if desired, and toss into an ice cream maker. Fruit juices can be used in place of pureed fruit, and most any type of sweetener can be used. Slightly diluted honey, agave nectar or fruit juice can be used as well. The addition of milk, cream, coconut milk, almond milk, etc. can easily turn this into an ice cream or gelato. While blending and before churning, taste your mixture: Is it sweet enough? Too sweet? Could it benefit from a little lemon juice for acidity? Play around with your ingredients, including a variety of fruits, to make this summer's most popular treat yet.