Cherry Amaretto Crunch Ice Cream with Almonds

Directions

1. Roughly chop the dried cherries. Combine the cherries and amaretto in a small bowl and set aside for one hour to plump.
2. In a large bowl combine the sugar and eggs. Beat for 2-3 minutes until thick and pale yellow. Beat in the flour.
3. In a medium saucepan, heat the half and half to a simmer - do not boil. With the beaters on a medium speed, add the hot half and half into the egg mixture in a steady stream. Beat until combined. Pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens. Pour the mixture through a strainer into a large clean bowl. Stir in the heavy cream, cherries, amaretto and almond extract. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until well chilled, at least two hours.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lay the almonds in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 6-7 minutes until lightly browned. Set aside and cool.
5. Stir the chilled custard then freeze according the the instructions on your ice cream maker. Just before the ice cream is finished, add the almonds and continue to churn until thoroughly combined. Ice cream will be soft, but ready to eat. For firmer ice cream, transfer it to a freezer safe container and freeze for 2 hours.