Homemade ice cream flavored with farm fresh cherries and local cherry-smoked bourbon. Aromatic with vanilla bean. Subtly smoky, subtly sweet.
Smoked Bourbon Cherry Ice Cream is the perfect way to end a grown-up dinner on a summer’s evening. With only three ingredients, you’ll have everything you need to make homemade ice cream. Add in simmered cherries, smoked bourbon, and vanilla bean – and you’ll have the perfect combination for smoldering aromatics.
Picture a summer dinner outside, when the evening light still stretches far across the sky. There’s a quaint table in the garden beneath carefully strung lights. You’re headlining your best culinary skills with a seasonal appetizer and a succulent, locally-sourced dinner. And just when everyone thinks you’ve outdone yourself, you indulge them with a homemade summery scoop of Smoked Bourbon Cherry Ice Cream for dessert. Complete with a farm fresh, bourbon-infused, cherry drizzle on top… of course. You are amazing. Period.
A memorable treat, and it couldn’t be easier to create.
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Equipment
- 1 Ice Cream Churning Machine
Ingredients
- 1 qt heavy cream
- 1/2 cup sugar, plus 1 tbsp (12 g), divided
- 2 cups Bing cherries, pitted, halved or lightly chopped
- 1 tbsp butter
- 3 tbsp wood smoked bourbon recommended brand Milk Street Distillery War Penny
Instructions
- In a large saucepan over low-medium heat, add the heavy cream, 1/2 cup (99 g) of sugar, and the seeds from half of the vanilla bean. Cook, stirring frequently, until the sugar is fully dissolved (you’ll no longer feel the grainy bits at the bottom of the pan). The cream should only ever warm through, do not let it scorch or come to a boil, lower the heat if necessary.
- Remove the pan from the heat and transfer the cream to a large bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and foil, and chill well. Alternatively, place the bowl in the refrigerator overnight.
- In the meantime, in a medium saucepan over low-medium heat add the cherries, 1 tablespoon (12 g) sugar, the seeds from the remaining half of the vanilla bean, and butter. Cook, until the sugar fully dissolves and the cherries are tender and render their juices, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the bourbon. Stir well, cover, and allow the flavors to come together, at least 30 minutes.
- In an ice cream maker, add the chilled cream and churn according to the manufacturer’s directions or until the cream is thickened but still unable to be scooped. Remove from the ice cream maker and add the cream to a freezer-safe container. Fold in half of the cherry mixture, gently mixing and reserving the rest of the cherries for serving, if desired. Refrigerate any unused cherry mixture, if not planning to use the same day.
- Freeze the ice cream until it sets, at least 4 hours or overnight. To serve, allow the ice cream to soften a bit, then scoop into individuals bowls and lightly drizzle with extra cherry mixture.*
Notes
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