Cherry Ice Cream with Chocolate Chips

There is something truly glorious about standing in the shade of a cherry tree ripe with cherries, and picking them and eating them right there on the spot.

As kids we would have pit spitting contests to see how far we could make them fly. Do kids even do this any more?

They’ve already bred the seeds out of watermelons, I sure hope they don’t breed the pits out of cherries. Call me old fashioned, but I don’t mind working for my food, pits, seeds and all.

To make cherry ice cream, you do have to pit some cherries. Takes about 10 minutes with a paring knife, but it’s a lot faster if you use a cherry pitter.

This recipe calls for regular sweet cherries, which are milder in flavor than their sour cherry cousins, but easier to come by.

Because of the mildness, this ice cream benefits from the addition of chocolate, and some berry liqueur.

Cherry Ice Cream with Chocolate Chips Recipe

You can also try making this ice cream with yogurt instead of cream. Heat the cherries, sugar, salt, and milk first. Then let cool. Add 1 3/4 cup of full-fat yogurt and purée. Everything else is the same except no need to add lemon juice.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups pitted ripe sweet cherries (from about 3/4 lb cherries)
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 3/4 cups cream
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp Amaretto, cherry liqueur, or rum (optional)
• 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine, keep in freezer until used

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