The Sun has been strong and air is super dry, we have had blue sky from horizon to horizon, with the temperature above 90F and very little humidity in the afternoon. It’s a typical California summer for the fog-free areas, like Silicon Valley where I live, which are basically a desert but dense population.
Summer means ice cream season. It is hard to get excited about baking, but making ice cream is a different story. It’s easy and a joy to do, because I can select my favorite flavor, control the sugar content, and taste it first.
Fortunately my teeth are still in good shape, but I have started experiencing dental “sugar attack” in recent years. Many commercial ice creams contain way too much sugar. They may be creamy but don’t have much flavor, just artificial flavor and sugar.
“Cherry Garcia” is a popular flavor of ice cream created by the Ben & Jerry’s brand that I used to eat and enjoy. But the famous brand is now owned by a big food corporation and the ice cream doesn’t taste like it used to. But hey, I can make my own …using fresh cherries and my favorite chocolate.
Gelato normally contains less cream than American and French-style ice cream, so it is less creamy but the flavor is bolder and the consistency more dense. Gelato is particularly good with fresh fruit incorporated.
- 1/4 cup dark chocolate (bitter or semi-sweet) chopped into small pieces
- 1/2 cup Bing cherries, fresh or frozen, pitted and coarsely chopped (about 15 cherries)
- 2 large, very fresh eggs or 4 egg yolks If making with custard step*
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 cup milk or half and half
- 1 cup heavy or whipping cream
- Place chopped chocolate and cherries into different bowls and place bowls in the refrigerator. You want to keep all ingredients cold.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl whisk the eggs until light and fluffy. Whisk in the sugar a little at a time, and then continue whisking until completely blended. Add milk and heavy cream and whisk to blend thoroughly. Place the mixture in the refrigerator overnight or chill at least 2 hours.
- Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and churn/freeze following the manufacturer's instructions, about 15 -20 minutes.
- When the ice cream stiffens, and about 2 minutes before it is done, add the chocolate and cherries, then continue freezing until the ice cream is ready. Transfer to a container and chill at least 2 hours.
- Mix the sugar and milk in a small saucepan and heat slowly over medium-low heat. Before it gets to boiling stage, remove from heat, add egg yolks and whisk well. Bring back to the stovetop (medium low heat) and stir constantly with a wooden spoon until the mixture thickens, about 1-2 minutes. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a clean bowl and whisk in the heavy cream. Chill in the refrigerator at least 2 hours. Continue at step 3.
