Cherry Chocolate Ice Cream

Cherry Chocolate Ice Cream

1 pound pitted ripe sweet cherries

¾ cup milk

1 ¾ cups cream

½ cup sugar

1 pinch salt

1 teaspoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons Amaretto, cherry liqueur, or rum

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine, keep in freezer until used
¼ teaspoon xanthan gum (optional but recommended, helps with creaminess and avoiding iciness)

Put cherries, milk, one cup of the cream, sugar, and salt into a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat until the mixture is steamy, then lower the heat to warm and just let sit for about 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Pour mixture into a blender, or use an immersion blender, and carefully purée. (Careful because you are dealing with a hot liquid. Make sure you hold the cap down on the top of the blender while puréeing.)

Put mixture into a large bowl. Stir in the remaining ¾ cup of cream. Chill for several hours in the refrigerator until completely cold. (Can also place bowl over an ice bath, to speed up the cooling process.)

Before putting the mixture into your ice cream maker, stir in the lemon juice and the Amaretto or other liqueur. and xanthan gum if you are using it.  Churn the ice cream in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Once the ice cream has completed churning, it'll be pretty soft. Gently fold in the finely chopped chocolate. Put in an airtight container and place in the freezer for several hours, at least.

Adapted almost imperceptibly from here.