Roasted Cherry Vanilla Ice Cream with Chocolate

Roasted Cherries:

12 ounces sweet cherries

1 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Vanilla Ice Cream Base:

1 1/4 cups half-and-half (or substitute whole milk)

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and scraped (or substitute 1-2 tablespoons vanilla extract)

1/2 cup sugar

1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt

4 large egg yolks

1 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (1 scant cup)

Make the roasted cherries:

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat oven to 450º F.  Spread the cherries in a single layer in a small, rimmed baking dish or pan.  Sprinkle with the sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.  Roast the cherries in the oven, giving the pan a shuffle every 5 minutes, until they are oozing juice and beginning to collapse, about 15 minutes.  Watch them closely so that the juices don't burn.  Remove from the oven and let cool.

When the cherries are cool enough to handle, pit them, making sure to save all the juice.  Chop the cherries coarsely, into roughly quarters or eighths.  Combine the chopped cherries, their juice, and the remaining teaspoon of vanilla extract in a jar, and chill.

Make the vanilla ice cream base:

In a medium saucepan, warm the half-and-half with the vanilla bean pod and scrapings over medium heat, until it steams and small bubbles form on the bottom of the pan, swirling occasionally.  Remove from the heat, cover the pot, and let steep for 30-60 minutes.

Add the sugar and salt, and re-warm the half-and-half until steamy hot, swirling to dissolve the sugar.  Place the egg yolks in a medium bowl, and set the bowl on a damp towel.  Place the heavy cream in a heatproof medium bowl and set a fine mesh strainer over the top.

Whisking constantly, dribble the hot half-and-half mixture into the egg yolks.  Pour the mixture back into the pot and set it over a low flame.  Stir the custard constantly with a heat-proof silicone spatula or wooden spoon, scraping the bottom and corners of the pot well, until the custard thickens slightly and/or registers 170º F on an instant-read thermometer.  This will only take a few minutes.  Immediately strain the custard into the cold cream.  Return the vanilla pod to the custard, and chill until very cold, at least 4 hours and preferably overnight, or up to 2 days.

Churn the ice cream:

Remove the vanilla pod.  Place the ice cream base in the freezer for 30 minutes to get it really cold, stirring once halfway through.  Place the cherries in the freezer, too, along with a 9x5 metal loaf pan, or a vessel of equal size that will hold your finished ice cream.

Meanwhile, place the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl, and set the bowl over a pot of steaming, not simmering, water, stirring occasionally until it is completely melted.  Keep the chocolate warm.  Churn the ice cream base in your ice cream maker until frozen.  Gently swirl in the chilled cherries and their liquid.  Do this by hand, with a spoon, so that the ice cream retains a marbled look of burgundy streaks on white, rather than becoming uniformly pink.

Finish the ice cream:

Make sure your chocolate is warm and runny, but not hot.  Working quickly to minimize ice cream meltage, spread about one quarter of the ice cream into the pan.  Use a teaspoon to drizzle thin ribbons of about one quarter of the chocolate over the ice cream.  Repeat with another layer of ice cream, then chocolate.  Continue until you've used up all the ice cream, ending with a final layer of chocolate drizzle.

Place the ice cream in the freezer to harden; this will take about 4 hours or overnight. Once hardened, transfer the ice cream to an airtight container. 

From The Bojon Gourmet blog