The humidity is at 79% at the moment, and it’s days like today that I think of what the Wicked Witch in the Wizard of Oz felt like as she melted into the ground. Because that’s exactly how I feel, I feel like I’m melting.
I have a love/hate relationship with the weather here in Brisbane. I love the mild winters, and the fact I don’t really have to own any bulky winter clothing as I can pretty much wear my beloved dresses year around, only with a winter addition of tights and boots. But summer, summer is a different story.
It’s sticky and uncomfortable. And there’s nothing worse than working up a sweat simply by brushing your teeth in the morning or even the moment you step out of a cold shower in a vain effort to cool down.
Of course there’s air conditioning, but as power prices go through the roof, and the memory of an $800 electricity bill lingers we try to cope with it as best we can, only resorting to air conditioning when absolutely necessary. So pedestal fans and cooling foods such as watermelon, salads, ice creams and sorbets become the order of the day.
As beautiful cherries still abound at the greengrocer I am determined to make the most of them before they disappear, which is how this Cherry Ice Cream came together.
You might remember the vanilla roasted cherries I created for my Black Forest Cheesecake Parfaits, well, I’ve resurrected them again, but this time I’ve gone with a stove top sugar free version because frankly it’s too hot to have the oven on. Simply cook the cherries down until they are beautifully soft and pliable and set aside to cool.
For the cherry ice cream base, I’ve stepped away from my usual custard base which I use for most of my ice creams after stumbling across this beautiful recipe for Roasted Peach Ice Cream on Tartlette. I love the simplicity of the base used here, which is a simple combination of milk, cream and coconut milk with the sweetness of honey in place of sugar. On hot days simplicity is key.
Serve this sugar free cherry ice cream in a cone or bowl, or as I like to do, in a mug or glass.
Tell me, how do you eat your ice cream? Are you a bowl, cone, glass or mug person?
Cherry Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 500 g of cherries stones removed
- 1 tbs of honey
- 1 tbs of water
- 1 vanilla bean split and seeds scraped
- 1 cup of cream
- 1 cup of full fat milk
- 1 cup of coconut milk
- 1/3 cup of honey
- 2 tbs of vodka optional
Instructions
- Place the cherries, honey, water, vanilla seeds and bean in a saucepan and place over a medium heat. Bring to a simmer and reduce to low and cook until the cherries soften and the syrup begins to thicken. Set aside to cool completely.
- Combine the cream, milk, coconut milk and honey in a saucepan over a medium heat. Bring to the verge of boiling and remove from the heat and set aside to cool before refrigerating until cold.
- Remove the vanilla bean from the cherry mixture and process the cherries in a food processor until roughly chopped. Remove the milk and cream mixture from the refrigerator and stir the cherry mixture through. Add the vodka and stir through as this will help prevent the mixture from freezing completely and make for a softer ice cream straight from the freezer. Pour into your ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturers instructions. Remove the mixture from the ice cream maker and freeze in a resealable container. Freeze for 3 to 4 hours before serving.
Nutrition
