What could be a better summer dessert than cherry crisp with vanilla ice cream? Cherry crisp ice cream of course. This ice cream is smooth, creamy and delicious. I could not stop sneaking bites from the ice cream maker while it turned. Try it! I think you will like it as much as I do.
I'm back!
I've been a bit AWOL this past month. I went to Virginia for a couple of weeks to visit my sister and her family at the start of June. When I got back I had oral surgery that has been kicking my trash for the last week and a half. But I think the worst is over for now!
I'm sure I'll write more about my trip to Virginia later, but with Independence Day on Sunday I've been thinking a lot about the day we spent at Antietam National Battlefield while I was out east. About 23,000 people died in a matter of hours, each fighting for what they believed in. Both sides lost thousands of men, but it became a political win for President Lincoln who then issued the Emancipation Proclamation freeing the slaves of the south (though it took months for that to happen, and even longer for them to be freed in non-confederate states.)
It was very surreal to be in such a beautiful place, and yet learn about so much bloodshed that took place. I've thought a lot about how much that is a normal part of life. To be somewhere beautiful and not know the pain that made it that way. Or to know people who are good and kind and not know the history and pain that has shaped them. Sometimes I'm so quick to assume I know the whole story when really, there is much more complexity to it. There is so much struggle and fight to get through this life. But it is incredible what the efforts of even a few people can do to make the lives of so many others better.
I'm not someone who handles war and violence very well, but I am incredibly grateful for the people who have fought for freedom. While the civil war is different than the independence from Britain and the signing of the Declaration of Independence we celebrate this weekend, our independence is only still here because of the people who came before us.
I made this ice cream because I am still on soft foods for at least another couple of weeks. I had made plans a few months ago to make something really fun for the 4th, but oral surgery put a bit of a damper on that. But with fresh cherries and cold, smooth, and most importantly, delicious ice cream I am still celebrating. Most Independence Days are filled with BBQ's, picnics, family, friends, parades and fireworks. I'm not totally sure yet how the rest of my weekend will go. But at least I have yummy ice cream that feels a bit like I'm celebrating too.
This years independence day feels a little different to me. I probably won't be eating food from a BBQ and we probably won't do any fireworks because of the danger of wildfires. But it's also different because I am a little more aware of the people who fought so I could celebrate this day. And that is something I hope stays with me beyond this weekend.
*Adapted from Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream
Crisp Streusel:
1/4 cup Cold butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
Cherries:
1 cup fresh cherries, pitted and halved
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Ice Cream:
2 cups whole milk, divided
4 teaspoons cornstarch
1 1/2 ounces cream cheese, softened
Pinch of salt
1¼ cups heavy cream
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 tablespoon vanilla (I used vanilla bean paste)
For the crisp streusel:
Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. In a medium bowl add flour, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. I like to just use my fingers to rub the butter and the dry ingredients together, but you can also use a pastry blender. Stir in oats. Spread mixture out in an even layer on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake, stirring every 5-10 minutes to break up the big chunks until the mixture is browns and crisp. It should take about 25-30 minutes. Cool. Refrigerate until ready to use.
For the cherries: Preheat the oven to 425˚ F. Combine the cherries, cornstarch and sugar in a bowl and toss to combine. Pour cherries onto a parchment lined baking dish and roast the cherries for 10 minutes, or until they release their juices and start to bubble. Cool the cherries to room temperature. Refrigerate until ready to use.
For the ice cream: Combine 2 tablespoons milk with the cornstarch in small bowl. Whisk together into a slurry.
Combine cream cheese and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
Combine remaining milk, heavy cream, sugar, corn syrup and vanilla in a sauce pan. Stir together. Heat over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and boil for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and whisk in the cornstarch slurry. Return to the heat and bring back to a boil, stirring with a spatula until slightly thickened, about 1 minute.
Gradually pour the hot milk mixture into the bowl with the cream cheese, whisking while pouring. Continue whisking until smooth. Transfer the ice cream mixture to the fridge and chill thoroughly.
When the ice cream base has chilled, freeze in ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Layer the finished ice cream in a storage container, layering the cherries and the streusel between layers of ice cream. Depending on how many cherries and how much streusel you use, you may have extra. I just put it over the top of the ice cream. Cover and freeze the ice cream until firm, at least 4 hours. Enjoy!
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