HONEY FROZEN CUSTARD WITH CHERRY-CURRANT SWIRL
As far as desserts go, I'd be perfectly content to eat ice cream all summer long (and maybe the occasional fruit tart or two)! It's a past time for my daughter and I to take the walk over to Fort Grace
in our neighborhood, grab a cone or two (likely with sprinkles) and leisurely stroll back home.
But I have to admit, as time has gone on and, you know, being a mother and all, I get more and more focused on sourcing my ingredients and trying to make as many treats from scratch as I can. With the help of a good ice cream maker or an ice cream attachment to your stand mixer, making your own ice cream is really not that tough AND you can control your ingredients - whether for health reasons or simply to tailor to your own tastes. Not to mention, it's badass.
This is really a frozen custard, not quite ice cream, which is to say it has more yolks than tradition dictates and is a bit higher on the cream side. The result: luscious, whipped, soft serve-style ice cream that keeps its fluffiness even after freezing for some time. I used (raw / local) honey to sweeten here, in lieu of sugar, which adds to that silky texture as well. You could easily use the base to make so many different flavors - I sometimes add cinnamon and toasted pecans to it for a totally different take.
With a glut of cherries and both red and black currants in my house, this sauce was an easy and rewarding way to use them all up! I didn't even pit the cherries - just threw them all in a pot, knowing I was going to strain away the solids at the end. If you have pitted cherries, you could easily just blend this mixture up in a good blender for a bit of texture instead of straining, but, remember, you'll probably have a bit more than the recipe calls for.
I love the combination of red fruits and cream - that creamsicle-like flavor, and this tastes AH-MAZING with a bit of chocolate, whether a sauce, some dark chocolate pieces or sprinkles. Enjoy!
Ingredients
Yields about 2 pints
Frozen Custard Base:
1 cup milk
2 cups heavy cream
½ cup + 2 tablespoons honey
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
6 large egg yolks
Cherry-Currant Swirl:
1 cup red and/or black currants
1 cup cherries, stems removed (pitted or not, doesn’t matter)
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
3 tablespoons water
a pinch of salt
For the ice cream base: In a medium saucepan, bring milk, heavy cream, honey, vanilla and salt up to a simmer and remove from the heat. Whisk the egg yolks in a heatproof mixing bowl. Temper the yolks by adding a little of the milk mixture to them and beating in between until a third of the milk mixture has been added. Return the milk-yolk mixture to the saucepan and place back over low heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Strain and cool completely in the fridge (4 to 8 hours).
For the cherry-currant swirl: Heat the currants and cherries with the honey, vinegar, water and salt over medium heat. Simmer covered for 5 minutes until the fruit breaks down and then simmer uncovered another 4 to 5 minutes until the juice thickens. Strain through a fine mesh strainer, pressing against the solids until all of the juice is through. Cool completely (and it will continue to thicken as it cools) in the fridge.
To finish: Pour ice cream base into an ice cream maker or ice cream stand mixer attachment and process according to the manufacturer’s directions. It usually takes about 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer half of the ice cream into a container. Pour half of the currant-cherry mixture on top and use a knife or small offset spatula to form swirls. Repeat with the other half of the ice cream and sauce on top.
Serve immediately soft serve-style or freeze to firm it up a bit (will still be fluffy and soft) with or without sprinkles!