Cherry Vanilla Ice Cream

Makes about 1 quart.
By Dennis W. Viau; an original recipe.

Unlike the cherry vanilla ice creams sold in the stores, which use very sweet maraschino cherries like the ones you see in jars, this ice cream is made with dried cherries, which have a more natural flavor.

Ingredients:

¾ cup (100g) chopped dried cherries
5 egg yolks, from large eggs
1 whole egg
1½ cups (350ml) half and half or whole milk
¾ cup (150g) sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup (235ml) heavy cream

Directions:

If the dried cherries are whole, cut them in half or quarters. Line a small tray or plate (small enough to fit in your freezer) with parchment paper or waxed paper. Arrange the cherries on the tray and place in the freezer until needed.

Combine the yolks, whole egg, half and half, and the sugar in a medium saucepan. Whisk well to blend.

Heat about 1 cup (235ml) water to boiling in a larger pan. Nest the smaller pan inside the larger one such that the bottom of the smaller pan just comes into contact with the boiling water, or is slightly above it. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Stirring constantly with a spatula or spoon, heat the egg mixture to about 160°F (71°C). Then remove it from the heat and add the vanilla and cream. Mix well.

Either place the pan in a large bowl of ice water, or cover and refrigerate for several hours. Reduce the temperature to 60°F (16°C) or lower.

Assemble your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions and start the motor running. Pour the ice cream base mixture into the ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer’s recommendations. For my ice cream maker, which uses a canister that is stored in the freezer for at least 24 hours before use, 20 to 25 minutes of churning is enough for ice cream.

Transfer the ice cream to a storage container and gently fold in the frozen cherries, distributing them equally. Store the ice cream in the freezer several hours to finish the freezing process. From my research I learned that the ideal temperature at which to serve ice cream is between 6 to 10°F (-14 to -12°C).