Description
This easy and delicious ice cream is made with fresh cherries, roasted with kirsch, mixed into a creamy custard base.
Ingredients
Scale
- 350 g (12 oz) fresh cherries
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons of kirsch (optional)
- 4 egg yolks
- 85 g (3 oz) caster sugar
- 425 ml (15 fl oz) double cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Set your oven to 180 C, 400 F or Gas Mark 4.
- Place the fresh cherries in an oven-proof dish. You do not need to remove the stones at this stage. Sprinkle with the 2 tablespoons of sugar and the kirsch you wish to use it.
- Cover the oven-proof dish with foil or a lid. Put in the oven for 30 minutes. Then remove from the oven and set aside while the cherries cool sufficiently for them to be handled.
- Remove the stones from the cherries and then finely chop the flesh of the cherries.
- Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar in a bowl until the mixture looks paler and resembles a mousse.
- Heat the cream to scalding point in a saucepan or in a microwave. Do not allow to boil – it will be the right temperature when you are just about able to bear to dip a finger in it.
- Pour the cream into the bowl containing the egg yolks and sugar, whisking all the time.
- Transfer the combined mixture into a bowl set over a pan of simmering water or, ideally a double-boiler, as you need to reheat it very gently.
- The mixture will gradually thicken until it looks like a custard (which is what it is). Stir regularly to make sure it does not stick while it is thickening.
- Remove the thick custard from the heat and transfer into a bowl.
- Add the vanilla extract and the chopped cherries and any juice that has accumulated in the oven-proof dish while they were roasting.
- Allow to cool to room temperature and then transfer to the fridge to become thoroughly chilled.
- When you are ready to make the ice-cream, transfer to your ice-cream maker and use according to your machine’s instructions. If you do not have an ice-cream maker, you can place the mixture in a freezer-proof container, put in the freezer for several hours until half-frozen. Whisk the mixture and then return to the container and replace in the freezer until totally frozen.