Monday, July 9, 2012

Chocolate chip cherry no-churn... ice cream?



I just can't seem to get enough of all those lovely pictures and recipes for ice cream out there these days. I spent hours in the heat last week looking at one photograph after the other, wishing I had the ice cream maker kit for my Kitchen Aid but, honestly, I can't justify buying one on a whim just to make ice cream a few times in the next month, until I move on to my next endeavour.


So I started ogling non-churn ice cream recipes and even though there are not half as many of them, there still are a few different methods for making it. One involves stirring the mixture every 15 minutes once it is in the freezer until it starts turning solid, but that is way too time consuming for me. I cannot imagine myself sitting around the house all afternoon waiting to stir my non-churn ice cream. Also, just thinking of opening and closing the drawers of my over frosted freezer and fitting the container in the abovementioned overflowing drawers is enough to discourage that course of action.


Another method involves blending frozen fruit with cream or custard and then freezing. You can blend again right before serving for optimal texture. I think I will try this next.

Last, a foolproof method which caught my eye, suggests using condensed milk to ensure creaminess and no ice crystals in the cream. No stirring once in the freezer, no cooking or eggs... hmmm, interesting.

I was sold.

So I pitted a big bag of very ripe cherries (I was very grateful for my cherry pitter, another on-a-whim buy from two years ago, although a much cheaper one than a Kitchen Aid accessory),  whipped up some cream, chopped some bitter sweet chocolate and made the ice cream. Next I put it into the freezer and waited the 6 suggested hours.




Not enough, back into the freezer.

Result?

I am not gonna lie to you: it ain't ice cream.



It is cold, pretty creamy, good, but it just isn't ice cream as we know it. Because the truth is the flavor is lacking in depth, the depth only custard gives you. And although it doesn't have crystals in it, it is not the same kind of creaminess you get from real ice cream.

So next time I will be trying the other method. Or, more likely, sooner or later I will give in to buying the ice cream kit for my Kitchen Aid.

Until then I may make this summer dessert again. It is good, so go ahead and give it a try. But be warned, just don't call it ice cream!


Ingredients (adapted from here)
2 cups cream, whipped
1 cup sweetened condensed milk
about 2 cups pitted cherries
1/2 cup bitter sweet chocolate, chopped

Start by pitting the cherries, mixing them with the condensed milk and blending them. I left some pieced in there, but my kids were not that excited. If you want a smooth texture, blend thorougly.
Meanwhile, whip the cream until it forms peaks, but don't let them get too stiff. Fold into the condensed milk mixture. Don't worry if it tastes to sweet, the flavors will be muted once the blend freezes. Pour into a freezer proof container and let freeze for at least 8 hours.

16 comments:

  1. Your ice cream looks incredible! I don't mind ice creams that are non traditional ice creams, as long as they taste good and they don't have those pesky ice crystals. But I agree with you. The creaminess of the added custard is what ice cream is all about.
    Have you ever tried making semifreddo? It's better than ice cream and doesn't need to be churned. I posted a recipe last month. Check it out.
    We eat a lot of ice cream in my house so buying an ice cream machine was a no-brainer. It really is one of my "gadgets" that I love the most and I always have it in the freezer.

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    1. I don't mind veering from the traditional, but this just had that frozen whipped cream texture, if you know what I mean. I haven't made semifreddo yet, but rest assured, I bookmarked your recipe when you posted it... it looked delicious!
      And we are big ice cream eaters too, so sooner or later I will invest in the ice cream maker. I just know it.

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  2. You're absolutely right, no churn ice cream is delicious but it's nearly impossible to recreate that wonderful smooth finish without an ice cream maker.

    My ice cream maker seems to be on the blink at the moment, so until it's fixed, a no churn recipe is exactly what I need. Especially chocolate chip cherry with lovely cherries in season :-)

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    1. Oh no, I love reading all those amazing flavors you create... I am bookmarking them for the future, perhaps when someone will get me an icecream maker for my birthday or Christmas ;o)

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  3. It might not be iced cream, but I definitely wouldn't kick it out of bed for eating crackers!

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  4. You are clever making this ice cream without an ice cream maker. Will keep this recipe in my mind when our summer is approaching...

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  5. Such great alternatives to yet another monster on the counter! I do not own an ice cream churner and I MUST now try this wonderful method. Oh, the cherry with chocolate combination sounds incredible, and I love how few ingredients this calls for.

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  6. Sometimes cool and with fruit is all you need. Had a bit of luck freezing an italian meringue with whipped cream and fruit- a bit fiddly, but gives a bit more 'chew'....

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  7. It does look delicious and I'm sure with that flavor combination it tastes that way too. I HAVE an ice-cream maker that I put in the freezer a few weeks ago and then never got around to buying cream...I moved on I guess. But before the summer is out I need to use it. I must admit it's been years...It was in storage for so long while we were overseas. Such a shame!

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    1. My fear is the room it takes up in the freezer more than the counter... you know Italian freezers... mine is always overflowing.

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  8. Well. Nothing can come close to real ice-cream, but that no-churn ice cream seems to be second best. Love the flavors in there...cherry garcia!

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  9. Yup, cherry garcia all right, but it can't really compare!

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  10. This is good to know. I've been drooling over that kitchen aid attachment myself, and thinking of making no-churn versions. Great post, thanks!

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  11. Hi there, today I'm collecting recipes using cherries and/or almonds. Please drop me a line on ca4ole@gmail.com if you are ok with me linking to your post on Carole's Chatter. Cheers

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