Saturday morning I was in my kitchen whipping up the base for this cherry chocolate chip ice cream. It’s not a custard-based ice cream (meaning there are no eggs) so it comes together pretty easily. Personally, I don’t have a strong preference when it comes to homemade ice cream made with or without a custard base. Those made with a custard base are generally thought to be richer and smoother, but I rarely notice a big difference. They’re all good in my book, and this one was no exception. I loved the gorgeous pinkish-purple color and the fresh cherry flavor. Cherries and almonds are one of my new favorite flavor combos so I couldn’t resist adding a bit of almond extract to the base before churning – it’s present but not overpowering in the final product. I just might be ready to declare cherry my new favorite fruit flavored ice cream! If you can still get your hands on fresh cherries where you live, this one is definitely worth a try.
By Tracey
Cherry Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
adapted slightly from Simply Recipes
(The original recipe called for liquor rather than almond extract. If I’d had Amaretto on hand, I probably would have used it, but I didn’t. Even without the liquor, my ice cream didn’t get super hard – it was definitely scoopable straight from the freezer.)
Ingredients:
- 3/4 lb ripe sweet cherries, pitted
- 3/4 cup milk (I used 1%)
- 1 3/4 cups heavy cream
- 1/2 cup sugar
- pinch salt
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 4 oz semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
Directions:
Combine the cherries, milk, 1 cup of the heavy cream, sugar and salt in a medium saucepan. Set the pan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved and the milk/cream mixture is warm. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan and let sit for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat under the pan and use an immersion blender to puree the mixture until completely smooth. (Alternatively, you could transfer the mixture to your blender to puree it.)
Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a large heatproof bowl, pressing on the solids. Add the remaining 3/4 cup heavy cream and stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate until chilled (preferably overnight).
Stir in the lemon juice and almond extract then churn in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. When the ice cream reaches soft serve consistency, add the chocolate chips and churn for another minute or two until they are evenly distributed. Transfer the mixture to an airtight container and freeze until firm.
