Toasted Almond and Candied Cherry Ice Cream
Well, I finally polished off the Fresh Strawberry and Chocolate Fudge Swirl Peanut Butter ice creams, making lots of room in the freezer for a new flavor. A couple of weeks ago I was thumbing through The Perfect Scoop while sitting with my grandma and she asked what types of ice cream recipes were in the book. I started reading off some of the flavors as I flipped through the pages and as soon as I uttered “toasted almond and candied cherry” she said, “ooooh now that sounds good”. I wasn’t the least bit surprised. Growing up, while the rest of us devoured vanilla, chocolate, and more of the “regular” flavors, my grandma and great aunt always, always wanted white house cherry. From what I can remember, it’s vanilla ice cream with cherries swirled in… there’s potentially more to it than that, but it’s all I can recollect. Oh, and I also remember not liking it. Much like the aversion to strawberry ice cream I had as a kid, the same held true for cherry. No one was battling grandma for the last scoop of that stuff – it was all hers, and she was happy to have it that way. So I knew that this ice cream would be right up her alley.
Steeping the milk mixture with the chopped almonds gives it such a wonderful, smooth flavor; come to think of it, it’s probably very similar to what almond milk might taste like. The candied cherries are sweet and soft, a perfect complement to the crunchy, roasted flavor of the almonds. And, although I absolutely adored my Chocolate Fudge Swirl Peanut Butter Ice Cream, I really think that I prefer ice cream with egg yolks used as a custard base. It is infinitely creamier and just has that extra “oomph” that takes ice cream from really good/great to out-of-this-world, let-me-lick-the-entire-bowl-clean fabulous.
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As for my grandma’s verdict? She absolutely loved the ice cream. Specifically, she loved all of the almonds.
Love this recipe but don't have an ice cream maker? Head on over to the tutorial about how to make fabulous homemade ice cream without an ice cream maker. Problem solved!
One year ago: How to Make Pate a Choux & Fill Eclairs and Cream Puffs
Three years ago: Miniature Italian Meatloaves
Toasted Almond and Candied Cherry Ice Cream
Ingredients
For the ice cream:
- 1 cup (244 ml) whole milk
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 2 cups (476 ml) heavy cream, divided
- 2 cups (286 g) whole almonds, toasted and coarsely chopped, divided
- 5 large egg yolks
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) almond extract
- 1 cup (170 g) Candied Cherries, recipe follows, coarsely chopped
For the Candied Cherries:
- 1 pound (453.59 g) cherries, fresh or frozen
- 1½ cups (375 ml) water
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 drop almond extract
Instructions
- 1. Warm the milk, sugar, salt and 1 cup of the cream in a medium saucepan. Finely chop 1 cup of the almonds and add them to the warm milk. Cover, remove from the heat, and let steep at room temperature for 1 hour.
- 2. Strain the almond-infused milk into a separate medium saucepan. Press with a spatula or squeeze with your hands to extract as much flavor from the almonds as possible. Discard the almonds.
- 3. Rewarm the almond-infused milk. Pour the remaining 1 cup cream into a large bowl and set a mesh strainer on top. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.
- 4. Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula. Pour the custard through the strainer and stir it into the cream. Stir in the almond extract and stir until cool over an ice bath. Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours.
- 5. To make the Candied Cherries: Remove the stems and pit the cherries. Heat the cherries, water, sugar and lemon juice in a large, nonreactive saucepan or skillet until the liquid starts to boil.
- 6. Turn down the heat to a low boil and cook the cherries for 25 minutes, stirring frequently during the last 10 minutes of cooking to make sure they are cooking evenly and not sticking.
- 7. Once the syrup is reduced to the consistency of maple syrup, remove the pan from the heat, add the almond extract, and let the cherries cool in their syrup.
- 8. Drain the cherries in a strainer for about 1 hour, then coarsely chop. Candied Cherries can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
- 9. Freeze the custard mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. During the last few minutes of churning, add the remaining 1 cup chopped almonds. When you remove the ice cream from the machine, fold in the chopped cherries.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
Best ice cream flavor! Followed the recipe and it turned out delicious, lots of compliments!!
Reducing the candied cherry sauce to the consistency of maple syrup does not work and takes far longer than 25 minutes. Once cooled it is impossible to strain. I fear it will be like biting into rock candy once the cherries are frozen in the ice cream.
I made the toasted almond and candied cherries. We enjoyed very much. I did use only 3 eggs instead and brought some (m) cherries from the topping aisle and chopped those up glad I did was awesome and saved my self some steps. Thank You!
Unbelievable combo of flavors! I’ve made it 3 times in two weeks. These recipes are fabulous and so easy to make. Have made ten flavors so far. A friend worried about the espresso ice cream keeping her awake that night suggested using decaf beans…brilliant! I am trying the cinnamon tonight. Trader Joe’s has the jar of 3 inch cinnamon sticks for $1.99. Michelle, your website is my absolute favorite and I have quite a few I follow. Thanks so much.
Cherries are finally coming in season and I’m so excited to make this! One question, though: what do I do with the syrup from the candied cherries?
Hi Maria, You can discard it or save it for another use; you don’t need it for the rest of this particular recipe.
beautiful still life: “grandma holding ice cream cone”
Do you think it would taste as good with blackberries? Tis the season… and I’ve got a wild blackberry bush in my backyard. The berries will be ripe soon, but sadly, not enough for a cobbler. I’m thinking the almonds and blackberries would taste wonderful together — what do you think, should I give it a shot?
Thank you for this recipe, because it does sound wonderful.
PS — I’ve got some muscadine grapes and pears coming soon, too. Any great recipes for those fruits? Hint – hint – hint!
Hi Chery, Blackberries in this recipe sounds amazing! I would definitely give it a go! I don’t have any grape or pear ice cream recipes, but definitely plan on trying a pear one soon!
that ice cream looks bomb
“what almond milk might taste like”? almond milk isn’t imaginary. haha :)
I know it’s not imaginary; in fact, my sister drinks it, but I have never tried it, so I don’t know what it tastes like.
This sounds AMAZING! Thanks for posting this recipe. I’ve been looking for more interesting flavors to make with the new ice cream maker.
Angela
Oh how i love david lebovitz and oh how i love his ice creams. Almonds + candied cherries – nom!
You come up with so many fantastic ice cream flavors! The nuttiness of the toasted almonds would complement the cherries so nicely.
yummy ice cream again, I can’t keep up – like the flavors in this one
Thanks for the tips on how to make ice cream without an ice cream maker, but I think I need one anyway :) Like your grandmother and aunt, I’ve always preferred fruit infused ice cream and your story along with the photo of her hand is heart warming. Congrats on the Top 9!
Great idea to steep the milk with this almond mixture. This ice cream is so pretty and it sounds delicious!
Congrats on the top 9! Looks delish- and a hug to grandma. I miss mine soooooo much.