Make Ahead

Cherry-Chocolate Ice Cream (aka my version of Cherry Garcia)

by:
August 24, 2012
5
2 Ratings
  • Makes one generous quart
Author Notes

For as long as I can remember, ice cream has been my favorite dessert. I started making my own regularly back in the 70’s when it first became known that many milk companies were feeding their cows rBST. I’ll adapt any recipe that looks good to me, and Cherry Garcia has long been a favorite. You can use chocolate chips instead of shaving the bittersweet chocolate, but that will change the texture of the finished ice cream. —ChefJune

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Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup shaved bittersweet chocolate (Scharffenberger is good)
  • 1/2 cup fresh (or frozen & thawed) Bing cherries, pitted & quartered
  • 2 extra large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon pure Vanilla extract (I use Nielsen-Massey)
  • 3/4 cup organic cane sugar (or maybe less)
  • pinch of fine sea salt
  • 2 cups creamline (whole) milk
  • 1 3/4 cups heavy cream
Directions
  1. Place the shaved chocolate flakes and cherries in separate bowls. Cover and refrigerate the cherries.
  2. Whisk the eggs in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in the sugar, a little at a time, and salt -- then continue whisking until completely blended, about 1 minute more.
  3. Scald the milk in the top of a double boiler.
  4. Carefully add the hot milk to the egg mixture, stirring constantly (so you don’t scramble the eggs), and return to the double boiler. Stir over boiling water until thickened. Transfer the mixture to a stainless steel bowl and chill thoroughly in the refrigerator, or over a large bowl of ice and ice cold water (stirring constantly if over ice).
  5. Stir in the vanilla and the cream, then transfer the mixture to an ice cream maker and freeze following the manufacturer's instructions.
  6. After the ice cream stiffens (about 2 minutes before it is done) add the chocolate and the cherries. Remove ice cream to a freezer bowl and allow to season in the freezer for several hours before serving so the flavor reaches its peak.

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1 Review

drbabs June 2, 2013
yum