Vanilla Cherry Custard Ice Cream

Instructions

1. Combine the cherries, the 30 g sugar, and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the cherries soften and their juices reduce to a loose, glossy compote, about 8 to 10 minutes. Mash about half the fruit, leaving some pieces intact, then cool and refrigerate the compote until completely cold.
2. Set a fine-mesh sieve over a clean bowl. Warm the cream, milk, and half of the sugar in a saucepan until steaming. Small bubbles may appear around the edge, but the dairy should not boil.
3. Whisk the egg yolks with the remaining sugar and salt until the mixture is smooth and slightly lighter in color.
4. Slowly whisk about 1 cup of the hot dairy into the yolks. Return the tempered yolk mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly. The custard is ready at about 170°F (77°C), when it lightly coats the back of a spoon and a finger drawn through it leaves a clean path.
5. Immediately strain the custard into the clean bowl and stir in the vanilla. Set the bowl over an ice bath and stir until the custard is no longer hot. Cooling it quickly protects the texture and shortens the time it spends warm.
6. Cover and refrigerate the custard for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight, until completely cold.
7. Churn in an ice cream maker according to the machine's instructions. During the final minute of churning, add about two-thirds of the cold cherry compote. Transfer to the freezer container in layers with the remaining compote, giving only one or two gentle swirls so the vanilla custard and cherry remain distinct. Stop churning when the ice cream is thick and holds soft ridges like soft serve.
8. Freeze for at least 4 hours before scooping. For easier scooping, let the container stand at room temperature for 5 minutes before serving.