Fresh ice cream is such a treat. If you've never made it, go out and buy an ice cream maker and get ready. When berries are in season, there's nothing like fresh ice cream. And I mean fresh - right out of the ice cream maker. You can put the ice cream in a plastic container and freeze it, but it's not the same as eating it right when it's ready. And it's absolutely pure - no fillers or ingredients you can't pronounce. We have a Cuisinart ice cream maker, but there are many brands on the market now. You just keep the bowl of the ice cream maker in the freezer all the time and you are always ready to make fresh ice cream. We love to make strawberry ice cream and one of our favorites is blueberry ice cream, when blueberries are in season. With the recipe I'm giving here, you can make any kind of fresh fruit ice cream.
Last year when cherries were in season, they were so delicious that I couldn't bear the thought of going all year without them. I loved just eating them raw and, of course, my family loved the fresh cherry ice cream. So I bought lots when they were in season and froze them. I just pitted them, put them on a cookie sheet in the freezer and then vacuum sealed them and stuck them in the freezer. When they're frozen, they don't make for a good raw snack, but they are outstanding in pies, cobblers and ice cream. So we had "in season" cherries all winter. What a difference.
This recipe calls for heating the cream with the sugar on the stove before chilling. I like doing this because I feel the sugar gets dissolved better this way. If you don't have time for this, you can simply mix everything together and make the ice cream. But I like to make this mixture in the morning, stick it in the fridge to get really cold, and then when you want the ice cream, all you have to do is pour it in the ice cream maker and 30 minutes later you have fresh ice cream. It's really a convenience.
I wanted to post this recipe because Susan, from Food Blogga, is hosting a "Beautiful Bones" food blogging event. She has osteoporosis and is asking people to post calcium rich recipes. What's better than ice cream?
Cherry Ice Cream
Ingredients:
- 1.5 cups half n half
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 vanilla bean (or 1 tsp. vanilla extract)*
- 1 cup pureed fresh cherries (or any kind of fruit)
Instructions:
Warm half n half and cream with sugar on the stove. Split vanilla bean and scrape into mixture. Add pureed fruit. Warm gently until sugar has melted. Pour into 4-cup Pyrex measuring cup or any other container (the Pyrex just makes it easier to pour into the ice cream maker later). Stick in the fridge and chill thoroughly.
When you're ready to make ice cream, put the freezer bowl into the ice cream maker, pour in the cold mixture, press the button and 30 - 40 minutes later you have outstanding, fresh ice cream!
ice cream maker: Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker
*tip: Please use vanilla beans if you can! They make such a difference. You can buy them in any grocery store.
