Balsamic Ice Cream with Fresh Cherry Sauce
If you have never dreamed of putting vinegar in ice cream and can’t imagine what it would taste like, don’t summarily dismiss the idea. Balsamic vinegar, reduced to a syrup, gives ice cream a pale plum color and a caramel note. If you can’t get fresh cherries, serve the ice cream with sugared strawberries or baked figs. Accompany with biscotti or another crisp cookie.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 8
Ingredients
Ice Cream
Cherry Sauce
Preparation
Step 1
For the ice cream: Put the vinegar in a small nonreactive saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat to maintain a simmer and reduce to 1/4 cup, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and chill in an ice bath.
Step 2
In a small saucepan, combine the milk and sugar. Cut the vanilla bean in half lengthwise, scrape the seeds into the saucepan, then add the pod as well. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Stir in the cream, transfer to a bowl, and chill in an ice bath. Strain to remove the vanilla pod. Whisk in the chilled balsamic vinegar reduction. Churn in an ice-cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer to a freezer container and freeze for at least 1 hour, or until the ice cream is firm enough to scoop.
Step 3
For the cherry sauce: In a medium saucepan, combine the cherries, wine, vanilla bean, and sugar. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring, and cook until the alcohol evaporates and the cherries release some of their juice, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and let cool. Remove the vanilla bean. In a blender, puree half of the mixture and stir it back into the bowl. Add lemon juice to taste. Chill.
Step 4
To serve, divide the ice cream among 8 compote dishes. Spoon cherry sauce over the ice cream and serve immediately.
