Dark Chocolate Ice Cream With Port-Soaked Cherries
- Port-soaked Cherries
- 3/4-1 pints sweet cherries
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons port wine (I like Missouri vintage port from Mount Pleasant Winery)
- Chocolate custard base
- 1 large egg
- 0.5 cups granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups heavy cream (the best you can get)
- 1 cup whole milk
- 0.25-0.5 cups granulated sugar
- 0.5-0.75 cups natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 pinch salt
- Beat egg until light and fluffy. Gradually whisk in 0.5 cup sugar and all the vanilla until light and airy. Set aside.
- Place heavy cream, milk and 0.25-0.5 cup sugar in saucepan and heat on medium, whisking from time to time, until mixture just reaches 175 deg F (just simmering).
- Remove cream mixture from heat. Whisk a tiny bit of the hot cream mixture into the egg mixture, whisking quickly and continuously to prevent scrambling. Do this a few times. rnNow go the other way ~ gradually mix the warmed egg mixture into the saucepan containing the remaining hot cream mixture.
- Return the egg-cream mixture to the rest of the cream mixture in the saucepan in a small stream (or a little bit at a time), whisking quickly and continuously.
- Carefully whisk in 0.5-0.75 cocoa powder until evenly blended. Add a pinch of salt. Adjust taste, if needed, with a little more sugar, cocoa powder and/or salt.
- Return saucepan to medium heat, whisking continuously, until mixture just reaches 180 deg F (just boiling).
- Remove the custard from heat and give it another few whisks off heat. Strain the hot custard mixture through a medium-fine sieve into a large mixing bowl (stainless steel, ceramic or glass - not plastic). Allow the custard to cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate overnight (or for at least 4 hours).
- To prepare the port-soaked cherries, soak the fresh cherries in a salt-water bath for a few mins (to clean and disinfect). Rinse and shake dry in a colander. Then de-stem, pit and finely chop the cherries into desired bite-size pieces. Evenly mix them with 0.25 cup sugar, 1 Tbsp lemon juice and 2 Tbsp port wine. Cover and refrigerate alongside the chocolate custard overnight (or for at least 4 hours).
- Drain the cherries of their excess juice and soaking liquid. Reserve that excess liquid to make little flavored ice cubes (or to add to a sparkling drink). Add the drained cherries to the chilled custard, and mix well. Return the cherry custard mixture to the refrigerator until ready to churn.
- Prepare the ice cream maker for churning. Carefully and slowly add the chilled custard into the canister. Churn for approximately 10-15 minutes, or until the texture of the mixture thickens into a soft-serve consistency.
- Turn the machine off and unplug it. Use a wooden spoon to transfer the ice cream into freezer-safe container(s) and freeze for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
cherries, sweet cherries, granulated sugar, freshly squeezed lemon juice, port wine, chocolate custard base, egg, sugar, vanilla, heavy cream, milk, sugar, natural, salt
Taken from food52.com/recipes/29656-dark-chocolate-ice-cream-with-port-soaked-cherries (may not work)