Cherry Amaretto Crunch Ice Cream Food

CHERRY AMARETTO CRUNCH ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Roughly chop the dried cherries. Combine the cherries and amaretto in a small bowl and set aside for one hour to plump.
• In a large bowl combine the sugar and eggs. Beat for 2-3 minutes until thick and pale yellow. Beat in the flour.
• In a medium saucepan, heat the half and half to a simmer - do not boil. With the beaters on a medium speed, add the hot half and half into the egg mixture in a steady stream. Beat until combined. Pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens. Pour the mixture through a strainer into a large clean bowl. Stir in the heavy cream, cherries, amaretto and almond extract. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until well chilled, at least two hours.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lay the almonds in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 6-7 minutes until lightly browned. Set aside and cool.
• Stir the chilled custard then freeze according the the instructions on your ice cream maker. Just before the ice cream is finished, add the almonds and continue to churn until thoroughly combined. Ice cream will be soft, but ready to eat. For firmer ice cream, transfer it to a freezer safe container and freeze for 2 hours.

LIGHT CHERRY AMARETTO CHEESECAKE ICE CREAM

Steps:

• In a small bowl, add 2 tablespoons sugar to beaten egg yolks. Whisk well.
• In a medium pot, combine remaining 4 tablespoons sugar with milk, and bring almost to a simmer over high to medium-high heat.
• Scoop out a small amount of hot milk to temper the egg yolks (about ¼ cup); slowly whisk into egg yolks. Repeat this one more time.
• Add egg mixture to pot of hot milk and whisk thoroughly. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium to medium low heat until thickens and coats the back of a spoon, about 3-5 minutes. Do not let mixture boil. Remove from heat.
• In a large mixing bowl (an electric mixer works best), beat cream cheese and mascarpone until well whipped. Add jam, lemon juice, extracts, and Amaretto, and beat to combine. On low speed, gradually beat in hot milk mixture. Cream cheese will not be completely dissolved/smooth - that is OK.
• Let mixture cool before chilling in the refrigerator. This takes about 10 minutes if you place the container in a bowl filled with ice and cold water. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours.
• Stir mixture to re-combine and freeze in an ice cream machine, according to manufacturer's directions. In the last minute or two of freezing, add the graham cracker pieces.
• Serve immediately or freeze for 1-4 hours, if a firmer consistency is desired. Top with cherries (and almonds, if using) and enjoy! This is best eaten the same day you make it.

CHERRY RIPPLE & ALMOND CRUNCH ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Remove the stalks and stones from 300g cherries (some garlic crushers have a cherry pitter on the handle, but if not, simply use a knife), then roughly chop. Put into a medium pan, add 85g caster sugar, then cook very gently for 10 mins until the sugar melts. Turn up the heat a little, then simmer for 15 mins until softened and surrounded by a syrupy sauce. Cool completely.
• Meanwhile, put the cream, icing sugar and Disaronno into a large bowl. Whip the cream until it just holds its shape. Fold in the custard, then churn in an ice-cream machine until very thick.
• For the almond crunch, lightly oil a baking sheet. Put 2 tbsp caster sugar into a non-stick pan, then gently heat until the sugar melts. Swirl or stir the sugar a few times if it melts unevenly, then bubble for 30 secs or until the sugar turns to amber caramel. Stir in the nuts, then pour onto the sheet. Cool completely until brittle. Snap into chunks, then put into a food bag and crush with a rolling pin.
• Spoon the soft ice cream into a freezer-proof container, then spoon over ribbons of the syrupy cherries and scatter with the crunchy nut caramel. Ripple through a few times with a knife. Freeze for at least 6 hrs, or ideally overnight. Serve with the whole cherries and almond biscotti.