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Merry Cherries Ice Cream
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups half-and-half
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup diced maraschino cherries
1/2 cup diced Bing cherries
3/4 cup diced Rainier cherries
Directions:
The measurements call for diced cherries. You’ll need to start with whole cherries – the Bings and Rainiers should be fresh – and dice them right before adding them to the ice cream machine.
In medium bowl, whisk together 1 1/2 cups half-and-half, 1/2 cup sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract until sugar dissolves completely.
Turn ice cream machine ON. Pour in the half-and-half mixture. Set timer for 20 minutes.
When the timer goes off, dice the maraschino cherries until you have 1/4 cup, and add them to the ice cream maker. Then dice the Bing cherries until you have 1/2 cup, and add them. Finally dice the Rainier cherries until you have 3/4 cup, and add them.
Set timer for 5 minutes. When it goes off, turn the ice cream machine OFF. Transfer the ice cream to a container and stir gently to make sure cherries are evenly distributed. Freeze until solid.
Notes:
This recipe was a request by my partner Doug for an ice cream with high contrast between the base and the fruit, using a combination of maraschino cherries, Bing cherries, and Rainier cherries. The ice cream base turns out a fairly bright pink.
I used fresh Bing and Rainier cherries, and did not macerate them, so that the juice would have less impact on the ice cream base. However, this leaves the cherries with more structural integrity, so it’s important to dice them down into small pieces to prevent them from freezing into rocks. I diced mine by pitting the cherries, slicing them in half, slicing the halves several times vertically, then cutting each slice into several bits.
Maraschino cherries are preserved in a jar. Bing cherries are large dark red cherries with dark red flesh, available through much of summer and occasionally at other times of year. Rainier cherries are yellow with a red blush and have yellow or white flesh; they are very sweet, but only available for a brief time in mid to late summer. So the opportunity to make this ice cream is limited by the availability of the Rainier cherries. Grab ‘em if you see ‘em.
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Try this...
August 4 2009, 06:23:52 UTC 11 years ago