Cherry Ice

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Small saucepan
• •Blender or food processor
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •1-quart ice-cream maker
• •Shallow freezer-safe container
• •Refractometer, optional

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the kirsched syrup

   Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan. Warm gently, stirring only until every crystal has dissolved and the syrup is clear; a hard boil only drives off water and spoils the measured balance. Cool completely, then measure exactly 1 cup (240 ml / about 290 g) for the cherries and reserve the small remainder. Stir the Kirsch and one drop of almond extract into the measured syrup. Use a dropper or the tip of a clean toothpick, never free-pour the extract. The almond should hide behind the cherry rather than announce itself.

2. 2

   Crush the cherries

   Pit the cherries over a bowl so every drop of juice is kept, then discard all the stones intact. Do not crack, crush, or grind them. Pulse the cherry flesh and its collected juice briefly in a blender or food processor until it becomes a coarse, juicy pulp, not a smooth purée. This replaces the mortar for the fruit alone.

3. 3

   Macerate for one hour

   Combine the crushed cherries with exactly 1 cup of the kirsched syrup. Cover and leave to macerate for one hour at cool room temperature, stirring once halfway through. The sugar draws color, juice, and perfume from the fruit while the Kirsch settles into it. Do not shorten this rest. The old freezing apparatus was scaffolding; this hour is the dish.

4. 4

   Sieve and balance

   Rub the macerated mixture through a fine-mesh sieve with a flexible spatula until only fairly dry skins remain, then stir in the lemon juice. The book's 21° syrup-gauge endpoint is approximately 36 to 37 °Bx on a modern refractometer, though fruit and alcohol make the reading approximate. The quantities are set to land there, but cherries vary: if the base tastes cloying or reads above 38 °Bx, add cold water 1 teaspoon at a time; if it tastes thin and sharply tart or reads below 35 °Bx, add the reserved syrup 1 teaspoon at a time. Ça se rattrape. Stop when the mixture tastes distinctly of cherry, a shade sweeter and brighter than you want it frozen.

5. 5

   Chill and churn

   Cover and chill the base until thoroughly cold, at least 2 hours. Churn it in a fully frozen ice-cream maker according to the machine's directions, usually 20 to 25 minutes, until dense, softly mounded, and the color of dark garnet. If it remains liquid after 30 minutes, the base or machine bowl was too warm. Stop before friction warms it further, pour it into a shallow metal pan, freeze until firm around the edges, then beat vigorously or pulse briefly in the food processor before freezing again.

   Without an ice-cream maker, freeze the mixture in a shallow metal pan for 45 minutes, whisk the firm edges into the liquid center, and repeat every 30 minutes until evenly frozen. The texture will be more crystalline because churning is part of the technique, but the flavor remains true.
6. 6

   Firm and serve

   Transfer the churned glace aux cerises to a shallow covered container, press parchment directly against the surface, and freeze for 2 hours to firm. Let it stand at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes before scooping; if it has frozen quite hard, patience restores the proper texture better than harsh heat. Spoon it into chilled coupes and carry it straight to the table. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Use ripe dark sweet cherries with real perfume. Out of season, good frozen pitted cherries are the honest choice; thaw them completely and include every drop of their juice. A tired fresh cherry makes a tired ice.
• •Kirsch means dry cherry eau-de-vie, not sweet cherry liqueur. A liqueur brings extra sugar and can leave the ice too soft. Keep the tablespoon exact, since more alcohol interferes with freezing.
• •Never pound cherry stones at home. Their kernels can release cyanide when broken. One controlled drop of food-grade almond extract gives the intended noyau note, and more makes the fruit taste of marzipan.
• •For an outdoor meal, chill the coupes and keep the container frozen until everyone is seated. This ice softens willingly, which is lovely in the bowl and less lovely while waiting in the sun.

Advance Preparation

• •The strained base can be made and chilled up to 24 hours before churning. Stir it well before it goes into the machine.
• •The finished glace aux cerises keeps well for 3 days with parchment pressed against its surface. After longer storage it becomes firmer and loses some of its fresh cherry perfume.
• •For a dinner party, scoop portions onto a parchment-lined chilled tray 30 minutes before serving, freeze them until firm, and transfer them to cold coupes at the last moment.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 120g)