Cherries Jubilee ice cream? Don’t you usually serve Cherries Jubilee OVER ice cream? Yes. But why not try a new spin on an old classic? I come from a family of ice cream lovers, but being lactose intolerant it is not real high on my must-haves list. A few years ago I bought my mom an ice cream maker, since she LOVES ice cream. Has she ever used it? Uh, no. Since I’m the chef in the family I make sure to give that machine a good work out now and then. And my mom and daughter are the happier for it.

I recently got some samples of the new Cherry Raisinets, and after eating myself into a sugar stupor, I starting thinking of all the fabulous things I could make with them. That is, if I had enough left… Once I emerged from the sugar coma I decided the first thing to make was ice cream. I didn’t want to just throw the candy into some vanilla ice cream, I wanted to make a new recipe to showcase these delicious little chocolate morsels. Cherries Jubilee is an old time dessert that is served over vanilla ice cream, and often flambeed with brandy. It makes a spectacular presentation (as long as you don’t set the tablecloth or your guests on fire) and is delicious. I decided to use the flavor profile of Cherries Jubilee for my ice cream. Since my daughter would be eating this I eliminated the brandy.

Cherries Jubilee Ice Cream

2 cups heavy cream

1 cup milk

6 egg yolks

1 cup brown sugar

pinch of salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 TB fine orange zest (I use my trusty microplane zester)

8 oz Cherry Raisinets

Over medium heat, scald the cream and milk. Be sure to watch the pot, as cream tends to boil over the minute you turn your back!

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the yolks, brown sugar, salt and vanilla until light and creamy. Place the orange zest into another large bowl, and reserve nearby. Add a small amount of hot cream to yolks, whisking quickly to temper the egg mixture. Gradually whisk in the remaining cream. Place the custard mixture over a pot of simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Whisk the custard constantly, until mixture has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove the bowl from the water bath, and strain the thickened custard through a fine mesh strainer into the bowl with the orange zest. This is very important as the heat from the custard will release the oils from the zest to perfume the custard. Place the bowl immediately into an ice bath. Stirring occasionally, cool the custard. Cover with a piece of plastic wrap pressed directly onto the surface of the custard to prevent a skin forming. Chill the custard for at least one hour. This can be made up to two days ahead.

When ready to make your ice cream, follow the instructions for your ice cream maker. Add the Cherry Raisinets in the last few minutes of freezing, again according to your ice cream maker’s instructions.

The ice cream will be a soft serve consistency when it comes out of the machine, so if desired place ice cream into freezer safe container and freeze for another hour or two.

The subtle flavor of orange, the deep richness of the custard and the dark chocolate covered sweet/tart cherries make this a treat, even for the lactose intolerant.

If you would like to try a sample of Cherry Raisinets leave a comment by Friday, and I’ll choose a winner!