The Perfect Scoop

It's so easy to make ice cream these days, so there is no reason why you should stick to plain ol' vanilla. David Lebovitz's The Perfect Scoop has all the gourmet ideas you will need for the ultimate ice cream treat. There is a wonderful chapter on mastering the techniques, and there are sections devoted to sorbets and granitas. Try the divine Creme Fraiche Ice Cream recipe with the Salted Butter Caramel Sauce. If that is too much decadence, the elegant Champagne Cassis Granita will be the perfect refresher after a relaxing summer meal.

Toasted Almond and Candied Cherry Ice Cream

Makes about 11/2 quarts (11/2 liters)

Crack open a cherry or apricot pit and you'll discover a soft kernel inside with the pronounced scent of bitter almonds. I took a cue from whatever higher power designed these two flavors together and paired cherries with almonds in one heavenly ice cream. Adding anything chocolate makes this ice cream amazingly good.

Be sure to drain the cherries in a strainer very well before folding them into the ice cream. They should be dry and sticky before you chop them up and mix them in.

1 cup (250 ml) whole milk
3/4 cup (150 g) sugar
Pinch of salt
2 cups (500 ml) heavy cream
2 cups (270 g) whole almonds, toasted (see page 13) and coarsely chopped
5 large egg yolks
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup (200 g) well-drained Sour Cherries in Syrup (page 185) or Candied Cherries (page 215), coarsely chopped

Warm the milk, sugar, salt, and 1 cup (250 ml) of the cream in a medium saucepan. Finely chop 1 cup (135 g) of the almonds and add them to the warm milk. Cover, remove from the heat, and let steep at room temperature for 1 hour.

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.

Rewarm the almond-infused milk. Pour the remaining 1 cup (250 ml) 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.

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, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. During the last few minutes of churning, add the remaining 1 cup (135 g) chopped almonds. When you remove the ice cream from the machine, fold in the chopped cherries.

Perfect Pairings: Try layering this ice cream with Fudge Ripple (page 210) for Almond, Cherry, and Chocolate Ice Cream (pictured opposite), or add Dark Chocolate Truffles (page 211) or Stracciatella (page 210) instead.

Reprinted with permission from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz; photographs by Lara Hata. Copyright © 2007. Ten Speed Press, Berkeley, CA.