Creamy Cherry Garcia–Style Ice Cream with Dark Chocolate
This homemade chocolate cherry ice cream starts with my grandmother’s stovetop custard base, smooth, rich, and full of that nostalgic homemade flavor. Fresh summer cherries and good dark chocolate turn each scoop into a mix of creamy, juicy, and crunchy that’s better than anything you’ll find in the freezer aisle.
Servings 16
Calories 202kcal
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 cups heavy cream
- ⅔ cup sugar
- 6 egg yolks
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 ounces dark chocolate
- 1 cup fresh cherries
Instructions
- Add milk, cream, sugar and salt to a saucepan over medium-low heat. Bring to a simmer and remove from the heat.
- Whisk the egg yolks together in a large measuring cup or bowl. Gradually add 1 tablespoon of the hot milk mixture to the egg yolks, whisking until combined. Continue slowly adding the warm milk until the egg mixture is warm. Then slowly add the warm eggs to the hot milk, whisking constantly until incorporated.
- Return to the heat and cook about 5 minutes until it is slightly thick and coats the back of a spoon. Pour it through a wire sieve into a bowl. Let it come to room temperature, about 1 hour, then refrigerate overnight.
- Grate about 1 ounce of the chocolate and store in the freezer until ready to use. Chop the rest of the chocolate into bite sized chunks. Pit the cherries and cut into fourths.
- Process the custard mixture per the manufactures’ directions. At about 15 minutes, add the shaved chocolate, chunks of chocolate and cherries. Continue to process for about 5 more minutes until it is thick. Pour it into a 9 x 5 x 3 loaf pan, cover with plastic wrap and freeze until firm.
Video
Notes
- You can use frozen cherries
- If you're not a fan of dark chocolate, try semi-sweet instead.
