Maraschino Cherry Recipe

SOFT SERVE

1. 1

   Prep the cherries: drain the juice from the maraschino cherry jar. Chop the cherries and measure 3/4 cup for the base; reserve 1/4 cup chopped cherries for folding into the finished soft serve.

2. 2

   Make the custard base: in a medium saucepan, combine the heavy cream, whole milk, granulated sugar, and salt. Heat over medium until the mixture is steaming (do not boil).

3. 3

   Temper the egg yolks: in a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks. Slowly whisk in about 1 cup of the hot dairy mixture to temper, then whisk the yolk mixture back into the saucepan.

4. 4

   Cook the custard: continue cooking over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the custard thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon (about 170–175 F / 77–79 C). Do not let it boil.

5. 5

   Finish the base: remove from heat and whisk in vanilla extract and the maraschino cherry juice.

6. 6

   Chill the base: strain if desired, then refrigerate until completely cold, at least 3–4 hours or overnight.

7. 7

   Churn: pour the chilled custard into your ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer instructions until it reaches soft-serve consistency (about 20–25 minutes).

8. 8

   Fold in reserved cherries: gently fold the 1/4 cup reserved chopped maraschino cherries into the churned base.

9. 9

   Freeze to finish: transfer to a container and freeze for 1–2 hours to allow the soft serve to firm slightly for scooping.

10. 10

    Serve: scoop into bowls or cones. Garnish with extra chopped cherries if desired.