Disclosure: I was given a copy of Scoop Adventures by the fine folks at Page Street Publishing. Thanks guys!

Why This Recipe?

One of the things I really like about this recipe is that it is not a custard base, meaning that it doesn’t contain eggs.

The base is a mixture of sugar, milk, and heavy cream that allows the sweet-tart cherry flavor to really shine through.

I also love the cookbook this recipe comes from.

Scoop Adventures is a delightful book with recipes inspired by or adapted from recipes from great ice cream parlors across all 50 states.

The book is divided into geographical regions, so if you’re hankering for southern treats or maybe something from the Pacific Northwest, it’s easy to find a recipe to fit the bill.

Of course, the sour cherry ice cream recipe comes from Colorado, but it would be right at home in Michigan as well. And it certainly was right at home in my freezer and in my mouth!

How to Make It

Ingredients

Here’s what you need:

• sour cherries: fresh or frozen. If you can’t find tart cherries, macerate pitted sweet cherries with sugar, lemon juice, and 1/2 teaspoon citric acid
• granulated sugar: for sweetness. Sugar also affects the set of the ice cream. If it’s too sweet, it will never completely freeze.
• lemon juice: provides balance and a pop of acid
• heavy cream:
• whole milk: You can also substitute half and half instead of using heavy cream plus whole milk

Procedure

This is a very easy ice cream to put together. The components, made from the ingredients above, are simple:

• a homemade sour cherry syrup
• a Philadelphia-style (no egg, no starch) ice cream base

1. Make the cherry syrup: simply macerate pitted cherries in a portion of the sugar and all the lemon juice for several hours.Puree the mixture in a blender, and strain it out.Reserve some of the cherry skins for texture in the final ice cream.
2. Make the base: cook the milk, cream, and the rest of the sugar until the sugar dissolves and the mixture comes to a boil.Chill.
3. Combine the cold cherry syrup with the cream base
4. Churn in your ice cream maker.
5. Mix in some of the reserved cherry skins for texture and added flavor.

The resulting ice cream is a lovely deep pink and the flavor is pure cherries and cream.

Q & A

PRO TIP: If using sweet cherries and you don’t want to special order citric acid, substitute Fruit Fresh, which is readily available in grocery stores, for the citric acid.

If you have questions about this post or recipe, don’t hesitate to get in touch. You can leave a comment on the post and I will get back to you within about 24 hours.

If your question is more urgent, please shoot me an email, and I will respond within 4 hours, unless I’m asleep.

Recipe from Scoop Adventures by Lindsay Clendaniel (Page Street Publishing; March 2014) Printed with permission

Thanks for spending some time with me today. Enjoy that homemade cherry ice cream, okay?

Take care, and have a lovely day.