Cherry Ice Cream with Chocolate Chips

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups pitted ripe sweet cherries
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 3/4 cups cream
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp Amaretto, cherry liqueur, or rum, optional
• 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine, keep in freezer until used

Directions

1. Combine the cherries, milk, 1 cup of the cream, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan. Warm the mixture over medium heat until it turns steamy, then reduce the heat to warm and let it rest there for about 15 minutes.
2. Take the pan off the heat. Transfer the mixture to a blender, or use an immersion blender, and purée it carefully until smooth. Since the mixture is hot, hold the blender lid firmly in place while you blend.
3. Pour the puréed mixture into a large bowl, then mix in the remaining 3/4 cup of cream. Refrigerate it for several hours, until it is fully chilled. To cool it more quickly, you can set the bowl over an ice bath.
4. Just before the base goes into the ice cream maker, stir in the lemon juice and the Amaretto or other liqueur, if using. You can leave out the alcohol, though it does help the ice cream freeze with a less icy texture and gives the flavor a little lift.
5. Churn the ice cream in your ice cream maker, following the manufacturer's directions.
6. When churning is finished, the ice cream will still be quite soft. Gently stir in the finely chopped chocolate, then transfer the ice cream to an airtight container. Freeze for at least an hour, preferably several hours, before serving.