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.