Looking for a delicious homemade ice cream that will take ice cream to the next level? This cherry ice cream that is made with bourbon is perfect for hosting an adult ice cream party. Chock-full of ripe cherries and a splash of bourbon, this ice cream is the perfect summertime treat.
Ingredients
3/4poundfresh cherries, about 2 cups, pitted, quartered
3/4cupsugar, plus 3 tablespoons, divided
1 1/3cupsheavy cream
1 1/4cupswhole milk
2inchpiece vanilla bean, slit lengthwise and seeds removed, pod reserved
In a small saucepan, stir together the cherries and 3 tablespoons the sugar. Simmer over medium heat about 6-8 minutes or until the sugar dissolves and the sauce thickens slightly. Transfer to a small bowl and cool to room temperature, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until cold.
Meanwhile, set a fine mesh strainer over a medium sized bowl and set the bowl over a large container of ice water.
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, heat the cream, milk, and the vanilla seeds and pod and 1/4 cup sugar stirring occasionally, until steam appears and the liquid is hot (175 degrees) about 5 minutes.
When the milk mixture is cooking, in a separate bowl, whisk the yolks and 1/4 cup of sugar together until smooth. Slowly whisk about 1 cup of the hot milk mixture into the yolks to temper them. Then slowly whisk the tempered yolk mixture back into the remaining hot milk mixture. Continue to cook the custard mixture over medium heat until it is very hot but not simmering (180-185 degrees).
Pour the custard mixture into the strainer bowl set in the ice bath and let cool, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes. Remove the custard mixture from the ice bath, stir in vanilla extract, cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until very cold (40 degrees), about 3 hours.
Right before you are ready to churn the ice cream, remove and discard the vanilla pod, pour mixture into a blender, add half of the cherry mixture and purée.
Pour the mixture into the ice cream canister and churn following the manufacturer’s instructions until the mixture resembles the consistency of thick whipped cream. Add bourbon, remaining cherry mixture and continue churning until the mixture resembles soft served ice cream.
Transfer the ice cream to an airtight container. Cover the container and freeze the ice cream until it is firm, about 3 hours.
Notes
Recipe Note: If necessary, one teaspoon of vanilla extract may be substituted for the vanilla bean.