Bake, Run, Live

Here’s another summer weekly installment of “Ice Cream Sunday”!

So I have been doing this for about a month now and I have to say, it’s a good thing Nick and I enjoy ice cream! You open up our freezer and I count 6 containers of ice cream! It’s almost too much for 2 people to eat.

Notice I said Almost!!!

I am having a fun time making ice cream, and we are both enjoying eating it. It’s funny though, we both have our flavors that we like better than others. Sometimes Nick doesn’t really care for a flavor and I end up eating it all. Then other times, Nick eats a flavor all by himself, like Lemon and Red-pop (at multiple sittings people!).

Today’s ice cream flavor is Cherry Chocolate. I used sweet cherries and made a sauce with them, then swirled it into vanilla ice cream that has tiny pieces of special dark chocolate in it. The cherry sauce is easy to make and would be perfect over pancakes, french toast, or vanilla yogurt! For me though, I used it all in the ice cream!

Cherry Chocolate Ice Cream

Ice Cream Base:
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 1/2 cups half and half
7 egg yolks
1 1/4 cups sugar
4 oz. Hershey’s Special Dark chocolate, finely chopped

Cherry Sauce:
3 cups, finely chopped, sweet cherries
2/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons water

To make the ice cream base:
In a medium-sized saucepan, whisk together the heavy cream and half and half. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar, until the mixture is a light yellow (about 3 minutes).

Once the cream mixture comes to a simmer, pour 1/3 of the cream mixture into the egg yolk/sugar mixture and whisk quickly to combine. Repeat this step 2 more times, until all the cream has been incorporated into the sugar mixture. Pour this combined mixture back into the saucepan. Over medium-low heat, stirring slowly and continuously, let the mixture come up to 175 degrees (using a candy thermometer). Once the ice cream base has come up to temperature, remove from the heat and strain through a sieve into a heat-safe bowl. Let cool to room temperature, cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

To make the cherry sauce:
In a medium-sized saucepan, combine the cherries and sugar. While continuously stirring, bring this to a simmer over medium-low heat. In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and water. Once the cherries have come to a simmer, add in the cornstarch and water mixture. Continue to stir until the juice has thickened and starts to bubble (about 5 minutes). Remove from the heat and cool completely (can be stored in the refrigerator).

After 4 hours, process the ice cream according to your ice cream machine manufacturers instructions. Once the ice cream is ready and the machine is still running, add in the chopped dark chocolate. Let the machine run for a couple minutes to incorporate the chocolate, and then scoop (or pour- the ice cream should be a thick milkshake consistency) half into a freezer-safe container. Add in a layer of the cherry mixture, then repeat with the remaining ice cream and cherries. Cover and freeze for 4 hours. Serve and enjoy!

Made with love, not calories!

Read Full Post »