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Cherry Chocolate Almond Ice Cream

July 25, 2009 By kellypea

Bowl o' Bings I saw the shiny orbs of deep garnet bulging from the plastic bag they were packed in and knew I had to have them.  The sale price posted above all but screamed my name so I chose a bag and gingerly placed it in my cart after turning it over to inspect its nether regions. I didn’t care how great the price was –  there’s nothing worse than a rotten cherry, except perhaps a rotten grape.

I had no recipe in mind, which makes no difference when I can flip through seasonal magazines or Google Cherry Ice Cream regardless of what Julia Child may have thought about the dedication of cooks who do this to make decisions about what they’ll prepare when they haven’t planned.  I’d like to say it’s more about seizing an opportunity which is what we have to do with seasonal products and if that makes me less than a serious cook to some, so be it.

My inevitable Google search led me to a site I’ve enjoyed since first beginning my own more than two years ago:  101 Cookbooks. And although the recipe I chose there didn’t include the Coke float I ended up making with my ice cream, it was certainly an excellent place to begin.

Are you lucky enough to remember ordering a vanilla or cherry Coke from an old fashioned soda shop or hamburger stand?  Oh, the memories…

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Filed Under: Chocolate, Dessert, Fruit, Ice Cream, Nuts, Summer Tagged With: , ,

Cherry Orange Almond Scones

November 12, 2008 By kellypea


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Being at Lis’ wedding this past weekend was an amazingly busy swirl of activity focused on obvious preparations, food, getting acquainted, food, 4am bed times, food, and then more food.

Did I say food?

Not much else can be expected from a group of serious foodies, right?  I’m still in awe of the idea that people can meet through the Internet, converse for a year and a half in blog comments, cyber bake sessions, and more than a few phone calls in some cases, then meet — it all seeming surrealistically normal.  Like I’d always known Lis, Helene and John.  The wedding ceremony was tear inducing (I’m a sucker for big guys who are so obviously devoted to their wives), the reception an artfully decorated evening on the shores of stormy Lake Erie, and the cake something I wish I still had a slice or two of hidden deep in the freezer so I might sneak it out when no one was looking and nibble on it, savoring.  Yes, very good times — and wistful, surprisingly.  When you’ve spent so much time together for several days, and are so busy, once you’re gone, you think of all the conversations you might have had — questions you might have asked.

But there’s always next time, right?

In the meantime here’s a bit of tea and scones served up on my wedding dishes.  I’ll imagine that my no longer invisible friends are sitting across the table with me.  The rest of you can pull up a chair as well if you’d like a warm Cherry Orange Almond scone with Devonshire Cream and jam with a hot cup of Assam.

How do you like your tea?

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Filed Under: Baked, Breads, Breakfast, Fruit, Method, Orange, Tea Time Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Fresh Cherry Gelato

June 23, 2008 By kellypea

When my husband and I got married oh so many years ago, we couldn’t afford an extravagant honeymoon, but we were able get away for a few days just to dream a little about possibilities.  So we headed to San Francisco and stayed at what was then the Four Seasons Clift, a luxurious hotel where fluffy white robes waited for us, chocolates were placed on our pillows after housekeeping turned down our beds for the night, and room service –  decadently ordered on our first night there –  introduced us for the first time to gelato.

I’ll never forget the heavenly, creamy texture, and the just right sweetness of the vanilla scoops we enjoyed that night.

The hotel has changed ownership since then, and although still beautiful, it barely resembles the traditionally elegant place we spent the first few days of our married life.  It’s now a sleek, sophisticated looking place that I’m not sure I’d feel entirely comfortable in.

I wonder if they still have gelato on their room service menu?

Next week,when we taste our first sample of gelato in Italy (and the following 10 or 15), I know we’ll smile and remember those three perfect days.

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Cherry Gelato
gelato della ciliegia

1/2 vanilla bean
3-1/2 c. whole milk
pinch of salt
1/2 c. turbinado
2 T cornstarch
1/2 lb. fresh bing cherries, pitted
2 T turbinado
1 tsp. pure almond extract
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

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Prepare an ice bath.  You can do this by 1)  setting a metal bowl in a sink of iced water; or 2) a larger bowl or pan.

Pour milk into a small saucepan and add a pinch of salt.  Split the vanilla bean lengthwise, and using the end of a butterknife, scrape the seeds from the pod and stir into the milk.  Drop the pod into the milk as well, and then cook over medium heat, barely bringing to a boil.  Remove from heat.

In a small container, mix cornstarch and sugar, then add 1/2 c. of the hot milk, stirring well.  Immediately, pour back into the pan of hot milk, and bring to a simmer, stirring until it begins to thicken, about 3 minutes.  Using a fine mesh strainer, pour the mixture through into the metal bowl, stirring occasionally, and cool to room temperature.  Remove from the ice bath and refrigerate for about 1 hour.

To prepare the cherries, in a food processor, pulse cherries, sugar, and both extracts until chopped finely, and chill along with the milk mixture.

Pour the milk mixture, the cherry mixture and all juice into an ice cream maker, and freeze, about 20 minutes.  Scrape from bowl and place in a sealable container in your freezer for at least 2 hours before serving.

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Notes: 

  • This recipe was found in the June 2008 issue of Gourmet in the "Letters" section, sent by a woman who was inspired by her yearly trips to Italy.  Lucky woman!
  • The whole milk used for this recipe is quite the refreshing change from the heavy cream used in other ice cream recipes I’ve tried.
  • I don’t have a cherry pitter and was surprised at how easy it was to use my paring knife to cut along the crease in the cherry, then with my thumb, pull the flesh from the stone.  Your fingers will, however be stained when you’re done!
  • The almond extract lends a remarkable flavor to this.  Don’t leave it out thinking the vanilla will be enough. 
  • I served this with an Italian chocolate almond torte and the combination of flavors was excellent.
  • The torte is coming soon…

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Filed Under: Dessert, Fruit, Ice Cream, Italian, Make Ahead Tagged With: , ,