Recipe by Jeni Britton Bauer. “You can use vanilla extract as a substitute for cherry pits, if you don’t want to hammer pits.” When cooking cherries, ecrease the temperature about 2 degrees per 1000 feet of altitude.
After the ice cream has been processed and combined with the sauce, it needs to be frozen for at least 4 hours before serving. Makes about 1 quart (6 to 8 servings).
Ingredients
FOR THE SAUCE
1 pound tart or sour red cherries
1 to 1 1/2cups sugar (see note)
FOR THE ICE-CREAM BASE
2 cups whole milk
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
3 tablespoons cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
Directions
For the sauce: Stem and wash the cherries. Pit them, reserving the pits in a resealable plastic food storage bag. Use a hammer or mallet to smash the pits so they open.
Place the pitted cherries in a large (4-quart) saucepan. Sprinkle the sugar over them and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Once they have come to a boil, reduce the heat to a medium-low; cook until the cherries register 220 degrees on a candy thermometer; this may take as long as 2 hours. Let cool.
Press the cooled cherries through a sieve for a smooth sauce, if desired; discard the solids. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks. (If you use the sauce after it has been refrigerated, microwave in a microwave-safe bowl in 30-second intervals just until pliable enough to spread.)
For the ice-cream base: Combine about 2 tablespoons of the milk with the cornstarch in a small bowl to form a smooth slurry.
Whisk cream cheese and salt in a medium bowl until smooth. Fill a large bowl with ice and water.
Combine the remaining milk, the cream, sugar, corn syrup and cherry pits in a large (4-quart) saucepan, bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat, reducing the heat as needed to make sure the mixture does not boil over; cook for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and gradually whisk in the cornstarch slurry. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, stirring with a heat-proof spatula, until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat. Pass the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer to remove the smashed pits. Discard them.
Gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the cream cheese until smooth. Pour the mixture into a 1-gallon resealable plastic food storage bag and seal. Submerge the sealed bag in the ice bath. Let stand, adding more ice as necessary, until cold, about 30 minutes.
Freeze: Pour the ice-cream base into the frozen canister of the ice-cream machine and spin until thick and creamy. Pack into a storage container, alternating it with layers of the cherry sauce and ending with a spoonful of sauce; do not stir. Press a sheet of parchment directly against the surface, and seal with an airtight lid. Freeze in the coldest part of your freezer until firm, at least 4 hours.
Note: Early-season sour cherries may be less juicy than ones at the height of the season; if they have less moisture, they will need the lesser amount of sugar. Otherwise, the sauce may become too thick.
Per serving (based on 8): 440 cals, 4 g protein, 70 g carbs, 18 g fat, 11 g sat fat, 65 mg chol, 110 mg sodium, 1 g dietary fiber, 63 g sugar
