Thursday, May 26, 2011

Cherry Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Recipe

Cherry Chocolate Ice Cream 5-25-11

I did it.  I FINALLY (ha) got out the ice cream maker after months and months of it collecting dust in the cupboard.  Cherries are starting to show up in the store, so I recently bought a pound or two and decided to make this Cherry Chocolate Chip Ice Cream.  It’s perfect.  The cherry flavor is just right and the little pieces of dark chocolate speckled throughout are always a welcome touch to any ice cream, if you ask me. ;)

I did some hunting around on the internet for recipe ideas for the ice cream and decided on Elise’s Cherry Ice Cream with Chocolate Chips from Simply Recipes.  I adapted Elise’s recipe quite a bit, but most of the ingredients are the same amounts, so props to her.

One thing I did that she didn’t do in her recipe that I’m really glad I did was strain the warm milk and cherries.  I don’t care for bits of frozen fruit in my ice cream, though I love the flavor fruit gives.  Kevin came home from work and mentioned how he really dislikes chunks of fruit in ice cream (I already knew he doesn’t like fruity ice cream anyway, so this one wasn’t for him in the first place).  But it’s nice that this has no pieces of cherry skin and whatnot leftover after the warm milk and cherries went through the blender. 

For my own thrills, I used fat free milk for the milk and did use cream—therefore, the fat free cancelled out the cream.  Right?  Hello?  Anyway, like I said, this cherry ice cream has the perfect flavor and chocolate in every bite.  It was super easy to make, so you should give it a try.

Cherry Chocolate Chip Ice Cream, by Katrina, Baking and Boys!

12 ounces (3/4 lb. or about 1  1/2 cups) ripe sweet cherries, pitted

3/4 cup fat free milk

1  3/4 cups cream

1/2 cup granulated sugar

pinch of salt

2 teaspoons lime juice (or lemon)

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

3 ounces good quality dark chocolate, chopped and melted*

6-10 drops of red food coloring (Optional—I thought it looked a little drab before adding a little touch of color)

Put cherries, milk, one cup of cream, sugar and salt into a medium sized saucepan.  Heat until the mixture is just barely forming bubbles around the edge over medium heat.  Reduce the heat to low and let sit for 15 minutes.   Remove from heat.  Pour the mixture into a blender and puree, being careful since the liquid is hot.  Make sure the lid is on the blender well and hold it down while it’s blending.  Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a medium sized bowl and discard the bits remaining.

Stir in the remaining cream.  Put the bowl in a large bowl filled with ice and water for about 30 minutes, stirring every 5-10 minutes.  This will quick chill the mixture.  You can also put it in a covered container in the fridge for a few hours.  I always do the quick ice bath.

Stir in the lime juice and almond extract and whisk to combine.  Pour mixture into bowl of ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer’s instruction, 20-25 minutes.  During the last five minutes of churning, drizzle in the melted chocolate (*20 second intervals in a microwave safe bowl in the microwave, stirring in between each until melted and smooth, then let it cool slightly).  Put the ice cream in an airtight container and freeze for a few hours (or longer).

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10 comments:

Unknown said...

That looks so yummy and refreshing right now...we are having a little heatwave in PA and I could use some ice cream! And I just happen to have cherries in the fridge. Hmmm....

Keep those ice cream posts coming - I love them!

Lauren at Keep It Sweet said...

I'm so jealous of your new ice cream maker! This ice cream looks delicious! The fat free milk most definitely cancels out the cream:-)

Lisa said...

Oh my gosh, just when I thought I was done making ice cream for now, you hand me this delicious looking recipe, and no egg yolks to boot. Cherries are even on sale here too right now! Naturally, you know I'd probably use all fat-free milk, but still, I can already tell I'm going to be making this now and loving it.

Unknown said...

That looks sickeningly good. I'm upset that I won't be able to have any (and I won't be allowed to make any at home).

It reminds me of the black jack cherry frozen yoghurt from Chapman's (a major Canadian ice cream manufacturer, and probably the coolest, most responsible business on the planet).

But that's another story.

Feast on the Cheap said...

Mmm homemade Cherries Garcia. Yum!

Katrina said...

yummo! This looks delish! Keep up that ice cream making... making me remember that summer is right around the corner... I think ;)

Valerie said...

As soon as this title and pic popped up on my Blogger Dashboard, I knew it was your blog. :) Cherry chocolate chip ice cream is my favorite and I LOVE almond exract so I want this!!

Jennifer said...

That sounds really good! Perfect for the holiday weekend, too. I used to not like cherry, but I think I just don't like FAKE cherry. Really cherries are delicious.

Amanda said...

I love when summer rolls around because you start posting ice cream! This sounds so delish, cherries are among my favorites.

The Goewert Family said...

Have you tried adding almond liqueur or extract to it? If so how much did you add or would you add?