Very Cherry Gelato

In honor of National Ice Cream Day, I'd like to share this recipe for Very Cherry Gelato. The cherries are roasted, which not only intensifies their flavor, but it also prevents them from freezing too hard in the ice cream (a tip from David Lebovitz). Let's get churning. 

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I love Boyajian products and this stuff is pretty amazing. If you don't have any, feel free to use Kirsch, Amaretto, or Bourbon.  

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The cherries are left whole with the pits inside.  Sprinkle with a little sugar and a splash of natural cherry flavor (or other alcohol).

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They roast in the oven for only 15 minutes.  They'll lose a little of their lovely color, but the intensified flavor will more than make up for that.

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The pits are very easy to remove after the cherries are roasted.

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Oooh.. and look at all that lovely cherry juice.  It's packed full of flavor so we'll definitely add it to the ice cream.  Here's the recipe.

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• disposable gloves https://amzn.to/2Fiw6TL

• all natural cherry flavoring https://amzn.to/3HalhQT

• my favorite ice cream/gelato maker https://amzn.to/2W1YiQ7

• less expensive ice cream/gelato maker https://amzn.to/2UGzi0w

• my favorite ice cream/gelato scoop https://amzn.to/2TF916d

• my favorite ice cream storage container https://amzn.to/3u7c9ck

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Very Cherry Gelato

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 40 whole sweet cherries, unpitted, stems removed

• 2 tablespoons sugar

• 1 teaspoon natural cherry flavor (or Kirsch, Amaretto, Bourbon)

• 1 1/2 cups whole milk

• 1 cup heavy cream

• 4 egg yolks

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• pinch of salt

• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Directions

To prepare cherries:

1. Preheat oven to 400F.

2. Place whole, stemmed cherries in an oven safe dish; add 2 tablespoons sugar and natural cherry flavor or booze and toss well.

3. Roast cherries, uncovered for 15 minutes; remove from oven and allow them to cool.

4. Using gloved hands, remove pits and discard (save the juice from the pan); chop cherries into small pieces.

5. Store roasted cherries with their juice in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

To prepare gelato base:

1. Whisk together egg yolks, sugar, and salt in a bowl; set aside.

2. In a heavy bottomed saucepan, heat the milk and heavy cream together until small bubbles start to form around the edges of the pan.

3. Slowly whisk about 1/2 cup of the hot milk/cream mixture into the yolks.

4. Pour the egg yolk mixture back into the milk/cream mixture and heat over medium-high, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract.

5. Pour ice cream base into an airtight container and refrigerate overnight.

To make gelato:

1. Process ice gelato base, chopped cherries, and cherry juice in an ice cream machine following the manufacturer's instructions. Makes about 1 quart.

Cappuccino-Fudge Cheesecake

I spotted this Cappuccino Fudge Cheesecake on Smitten Kitchen recently and, after reading the most tantalizing description, hoped an opportunity would soon present itself so I could make it.  To my delight, a dinner invitation was extended to our family shortly thereafter.  The cheesecake was a huge hit and several dinner guests proclaimed it to be the best cheesecake they'd ever eaten.  Plan ahead, this cheesecake should be made at least 1 day ahead (or up to 4 days ahead).

I used a plain round tip to pipe the lattice design and a star tip to pipe the decorative edge.

Important Tip: Don't let the piped ganache border chill against the springform pan because the cold ganache will glue the pan and cheesecake together like cement.  To avoid this, I removed the pan sides before piping, wrapped the naked cheesecake with a long strip of parchment paper, then piped the border and chilled the cheesecake until the ganache was firm before carefully peeling the parchment away.  For a clean presentation, each cut I make into any cheesecake is done with a sharp knife that has been warmed with hot water and dried.

Cappuccino Fudge Cheesecake

makes one 10-inch cheesecake

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

Crust:

• 9 ounces chocolate wafer cookie crumbs

• 6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar

• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

• 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Ganache:

• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream

• 20 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped

• 1/4 cup Kahlúa or other coffee-flavored liqueur

Filling:

• 2 pounds cream cheese, room temperature

• 1 1/3 cups sugar

• 2 tablespoons all purpose flour

• 2 tablespoons rum (light or dark)

• 2 tablespoons instant espresso powder 

• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

• 2 teaspoons molasses

• 4 large eggs, room temperature

Topping:

• 16 ounces sour cream

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

• chocolate covered espresso beans for garnish

Directions

To make the crust:

1. Pulse cookie crumbs, chopped chocolate, brown sugar, nutmeg, and melted butter in a food processor.

2. Press crumb mixture evenly into a 10-inch springform pan, across the bottom and up the sides until it reaches 1/2-inch from the top of the pan. Chill until needed.

To make the ganache:

1. Place the chocolate in a medium bowl.

2. In a saucepan over medium high heat, bring heavy cream to a simmer.

3. Remove cream from heat and pour over chocolate and Kailua; rest for 5 minutes, then whisk until smooth.

4. Pour 1 to 1 1/2 cups ganache over bottom and sides of chilled crust and freeze until ganache layer is firm, about 30 minutes.

5. Reserve remaining ganache; cover and let stand at room temperature to use later for garnish. 

To make the filling:

1. Preheat oven to 350F and place rack in center position.

2. in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a BeaterBlade attachment, beat cream cheese and sugar on low speed until smooth. 

3. Add flour, rum, espresso powder, vanilla, and molasses, beat until smooth, then add the eggs, one at a time until incorporated.

4. Pour filling into crust and place springform pan on rimmed half sheet pan.

5. Bake for 1 hour, remove from oven and transfer cheesecake to a cooling rack for 15 minutes while preparing the topping. Don’t turn oven off yet.

To make the topping:

1. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the sour cream, sugar, and vanilla.

2. Pour evenly; return to oven for 10 minutes.

3. Remove from oven and transfer cheesecake to cooling rack until pretty cool, about 3 hours.

To decorate the cheesecake:

1. Run small sharp knife between crust and pan sides to loosen cake; release pan sides and transfer cheesecake to platter.

2. Using a pastry bag and tips of your choice, pipe ganache in a lattice design on top of the cheesecake, and pipe a decorative border around top edge and garnish with coffee beans, if desired. 

3. Chill until lattice is firm, about 15 minutes.  Keep chilled in an airtight container.

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