From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Had the gods of mythology sampled this Ben and Jerry favorite, there would have been no talk of ambrosia and an ice cream parlor would have, instead, been opened on the top of Mount Olympus. It is remarkably good and it's Bob's ice cream of choice. It's hard to find Cherry Garcia ice cream in many parts of the world, so, each year before we leave, Bob has his fill of it while we are still in DEFCON 1. It is remarkably easy to prepare and I have only one caution should you decide to make it. It's important not to overwork the chocolate and cherry mixture when folding it into the cream. It's also important to keep the chocolate shavings thick enough to retain their shape during the process. Now to the real question. Does it actually taste like Cherry Garcia ice cream? Kinda. Sorta. Maybe. A lot depends on the flavor of the Bing cherries you use. That can vary from one pint to another, so I've started using a tablespoon of kirsch to assure that wonderful cherry flavor. The recipe is Tom and Jerry's own, so I have not included kirsch in the ingredient list. Here's how they do it.
Cherry Garcia Ice Cream...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, courtesy of Ben and Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream and Dessert Book
Ingredients:
1/4 cup shaved plain chocolate (we prefer Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate candy bars)
1/4 cup fresh Bing cherries, halved and pitted (you may use canned cherries, but be sure to drain the syrup)
2 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups heavy or whipping cream
1 cup milk
Directions:
1) Place shaved chocolate flakes and the cherries in separate bowls. Cover and refrigerate.
2) Whisk eggs in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in sugar, a little at a time, then continue whisking until completely blended, about 1 minute more. Pour in the cream and milk and whisk to blend.
3) Transfer mixture to an ice cream maker and freeze following the manufacturer’s instructions.
4) After ice cream stiffens (about 2 minutes before it is done), add chocolate and cherries, then continue freezing until ice cream is ready. Yield: 1 quart.
You might also enjoy these recipes:
Ice Cream Crunch Cake - One Perfect Bite
Fresh Mint Ice Cream - One Perfect Bite
Lemon Buttermilk Ice Cream - One Perfect Bite
Cherry Ice Cream with Chocolate Chips - Simply Recipes
Snickerdoodle Ice Cream - The Recipe Girl
Salted Butter Caramel Ice Cream - David Lebovitz
